BOTANY AS APPLIED TO VETERINARY SCIENCE. 143 
The Solanum dulcamara {woody nightshade, or bitter-siveet), 
belongs to the class of Exogens, the sub-class Corolliflorce 
(flowers furnished with both calyx and corolla; the latter 
consisting of united petals), and to the very important 
natural order Solanacea, which may be recognised by the 
following characters:— 
Solanacem [nightshades), calyx five-parted, persistent, infe¬ 
rior ; corolla monopetalous, hypogynous ; the limb five-cleft 
regular, or somewhat unequal, in aestivation plaited or imbri¬ 
cated ; stamens inserted upon the corolla, as many as the 
segments of the limb, with which they are alternate; anthers 
bursting longitudinally, rarely by pores at the apex ;— ovary 
two-celled, with two polyspermous placentae; continu¬ 
ous; stigma simple ; pericargo with two or four or many cells ; 
either a capsule with a double dissepiment parallel with the 
valves, or a berry with the placenta adhering to the disse¬ 
piment ; seeds numerous ; herbaceous plants or shrubs ; leaves 
alternate, undivided, or lobed, sometimes collateral; the 
floral ones sometimes double, and placed near each other; 
inflorescence variable, often out of the axil; the pedicels with¬ 
out bracts. So far as the European Flora is concerned, this 
order is sufficiently characterised by its superior many-seeded 
ovary, axile placenta, and regular flowers, and by having the 
same number of stamens as there are lobes to the corolla, 
upon the side of which they grow\^^ [Lindley.) 
Good illustrations of the order may be seen in the Sola¬ 
num dulcamara, Atropa belladonna, and the Nicotiana tabacum. 
To this very natural order I would particularly direct 
attention, inasmuch as many plants which are likely to come 
under our notice belong to it. The order is an extensive 
one, and most of the plants are natives of tropical regions. 
About twenty hardy ligneous species, upwards of 200 
hardy herbaceous species, about 100 greenhouse, and 150 
hothouse species exist at present in Britain.^’ The leaves of 
nearly all the species have a dark green colour, and many of 
them give out a peculiar odour; the juices of many are 
powerfully narcotic; the fruit of a few^ is violently pungent; 
the fruit of tw’o or three others esculent, and the tuberous 
roots of one are the well-know'n potato. 
Among the plants which are used in medicine will be 
found the Atropa belladonna [deadly nightshade) ; llyoscyamus 
niger [henbane) ; Nicotiana tabacum [tobacco) ; those used as 
food or esculents, the Solanum tuberosum [potato) ; the Capsicum 
annuum [capsicum), and the Solanum lycogoersicurn [love apple, 
tomato). Others also are much prized for their floral beauty, 
such as the Petunias, the Brugmansias, &c., &c. All more 
