The BRITISH HERBAL. 
329 
The flowers ftand on Angle footftalks rifing 
from the bofoms of the kaves ; and they are large 
and confpicuous : they are hollow, and of a deep, 
but not fhining purple colour. 
The berry is large, round, and black : it has a 
tempting look, and many have been by that led 
to eat of it to their deftru£tion. 
It throws in the neighbourhood of towns and 
houfes, on ground where there has fallen ma- 
nure but ic fliould be rooted out wherever found, 
for children have been often dcftroyed by it. It 
flowers in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Solamm mdamcerafiis. 
Others, Solamm Let hale, and Bdladona. 
The works of medical authors abound with in- 
ftances of its effefts, and hiftories of thofe who 
haveperifhed by if, and experience from time 
to time fliews they have told truth. 
1 faw one unhappy inftance in the year 1743 : 
a labourer found it in the park of a nobleman 
where he was repairing the pales ; and he eat 
heartily of the berries, and gave fome to his chil- 
dren. The iymptoms came on in the following 
manner. 
The man, after two hours, grew light-headed, 
giddy, and unable to fl:and but not thinking of 
the caufe, fet down to his fupper. He drank 
greedily, but could fcarce fwallow any thing fo- 
lid. He went to bed, and prefently grew worfe. 
He complained of a dreadful pain in the breaft, 
and difficulty of breathing. Ic was about five in 
the afternoon he eat the berries. Thefe fympcoms 
came on between ten and eleven at night ; and at 
twelve, feven hours from the eating them, he fell 
into the moft dreadful ravings. Once in a quar- 
ter of an hour his fenfes would return tor a mo- 
ment; but he relapfed immediately, and every 
time with more violence. During the intervals 
of reafon, his breath was as difficult ; and he 
complained of a drgadful tightncfs acrofs his hreafi. 
Toward morning the ravings went off*, but he 
became foolilh. He was faint, breathed with 
difficulty, and ftared and flabbered, anfwered fo- 
reign to queftians, and feemed one born an idiot. 
All this time he was affedlcd with a moft pain- 
ful and violent ftrangury ; but by degrees this 
went off, and he recovered without the help of 
medicines. Before the country- apothecary could 
be had, he was growing better; and he not 
knowing what to advife, left the family to their 
own management. 
The children both died in the courfc of the 
night ; and he, when perfeiftly recovered, and 
queftioned about the nature of the cafe, an- 
fwered, that he had been in the condition ot one 
very drunk ; but faw and underftood all that was 
doing even when he anf'Aered in the wildefl; man- 
ner. 
This I have feen and what is recorded by me- 
dical v/riters agrees well with it. Indeed no clafs 
of writers are in general more faithful. W e read 
of men who have continued in a ftate of mad- 
nefs eight or nine days from it, and have reco- 
vered ; to children it has generally proved fatal. 
I hofe grown perfons who have perifiiL-d by it, 
have generally died within twelve hours from the 
eating. 
DIVISION II. FOREIGN SPECIES. 
Large violet-flowered Deadly Nightfliade. 
Belladona flore magno violaceo. 
The root is compofed of numerous, thick fibres. 
The ftalk is round, firm, upright, and of a 
brownifh colour, not much branched, but full of 
leaves : thefe are oblong, and of a deep green, 
not dented at the edges, but fharp-pointed : they 
have ftiort footflralks, and a rim of the leaf runs 
down them. 
The flowers are large, and of a fine violet-co- 
lour : they are placed fingly on fliorc footftalks 
rifing from the bofoms of the leaves. 
The fruit is a large berry, placed in the cupj 
which is alfo large, and in a manner clofes 
over ic. 
It is a native of Peru, and flowers in Auguft. 
Juffieu calls it Alkakengi flore amplo violaceo , 
but ic is truly of this kind. 
GENUS XII. 
CUCKOWPINT. 
J R U M. 
'T'Herc is not in all the round of Nature a genus fo Angular as this, nor any about which fyftem- 
makers have had more trouble, none knowing where to place it : yet had they followed the 
obvious chara6ler imprefl'ed by Nature in the fruit, the confufion had been avoided ; for whatever dif- 
putes '.nay have arifen from the fingularicy of the flower, the fruit is a berry : that admits no doubt, 
and that pLices it in this clafs. 
The flower has no petals, but numerous threads. The cup is formed of a fingle leaf and is large, 
hollow, upright, pointed at the top, and coloured within: it falls with the flower. The fruit is a 
clufter of round berries. The feeds are numerous and roundilh. The leaves are undivided. 
This is a character of the genus comprifed in a few words; yet punftual, particular, and above 
exception. It plainly diftinguifhes the arum from all other plants, even from two genera nearly al- 
lied to it, and to be defcribed hereafter, arifarum and dragons. 
Linnaeus feparates it from the generality of the other berry-bearing plants, placing it among the 
gynandria polya-fuiria ; the ftamina being numerous, and fixed to the piftil of the flower. He joins the 
arifarum and draconliim with it. 
N^ XXXIII. 4 P D I V I - 
5 
