Solanum

“ May be placed to great advantage in groups in round beds with dwarfer plants or shrubs at the base, or with climbing plants ascending the stems, but is much better isolated on slopes, etc. It is a vigorous grower, and should have rich soil.
Solanum crinitipes.—A slow-growing woody species with undivided oval leaves somewhat more than a foot long: the young stems and flower-stalks being densely covered with chaffy hairs somewhat like those of a fern. This I have not seen thrive so well in England as the preceding kind, but it is well worthy of trial in full collections in the southern counties. ”

“ Among the many plants suitable for the wild garden none look more at home than Borage, a few seeds of which scattered over fresh dry ground soon germinate, and form fine patches that will flower during the summer. Although only an annual, once it is introduced there is no fear of losing it, as it comes up somewhere near the same spot each succeeding year, and when in bloom the peculiar Solanum–like shape of the blossoms, and their rich blue colour, make it beautiful. ”

“ It is true that these apples are sometimes full of dust, but this appears only when the fruit is attacked by an insect, which converts the whole of the inside into dust, leaving nothing but the rind entire, without causing it to lose any of its colour.’
Linnaeus thought, also, that they were the fruit of a solanum, and named a species having large yellow berries, with black seeds, surrounded by a greenish pulp, which dries into a bitter, nauseous powder, solanum Sodomeum; but it has been found that this plant is a native of Southern Africa, and not of Palestine. ”

“ Solanum.—S. jasminoides.—Some of the species of this large genus are twiners; but this is a true leaf-climber. A long, nearly upright shoot made four revolutions, moving against the sun, very regularly at an average rate of 3 h. 26 m. The shoots, however, sometimes stand still. It is considered a greenhouse plant; but when kept there, the petioles took several days to clasp a stick: in the hothouse a stick was clasped in 7 h. In the greenhouse a
Solanum jasminoides, with one of its leaves clasping a stick. ”

“ During the three weeks she was taking 30 drops of Solanum three times a day she had one spell, that occurring during the third week.
H. K., male, aged eighteen years. First spell when fourteen years old. Every three or four days has several attacks in succession, an average of about one daily. While taking Solanum in 40-drop—afterwards increased to teaspoonful—doses he had twelve in thirty-eight days, an average of a little less than one in three days, going six without having any. ”

“ Solanum.—The berried varieties may be grown entirely in pots, or they can be put into beds for the summer, from which they will lift for potting again just as the handsome berries are turning colour. The spiny-leaved varieties are valuable for sub-tropical gardening. Small plants are of little worth, hence they should be put into very rich soil, with a thick layer of manure on the surface, and have copious supplies of water to induce free growth. ”

“ It can usually be found bearing blossoms and fruit in all stages of development, and is one of the coarser weeds that is quite sure to find its way into cultivated ground and become thoroughly established if sufficient time is given it. Much more attractive than the above is Solanum umbelliferum, Esch., which forms long, straggling, tomentose stems, that climb over surrounding shrubbery and peep out here and there with small clusters of large, yellow-throated, blue flowers. This forms one of the cheerful surprises as a person pushes his way through the dust-laden underbrush. ”

“ Solanum.—The well known S. jasminoides may be employed to clothe either walls, pillars, or roof. Plant in the border and keep well watered in summer. It may be easily increased by means of cuttings.
Tacsonia.—The species with which this interesting genus is made up are eminently beautiful, but only adapted for large houses. They are strong growers, and unless they can ramble about freely, very few flowers will be the result. Treat them as advised for the Passifloras. The best for the greenhouse are T. Buchanani, T. Van Volxemi, and T. eriantha. ”

“ Plants having a soft or woolly foliage should never be wetted overhead, but those with hard and shiny leaves may be freely syringed, especially when in full growth.
Solanum.—Showy greenhouse shrubs, some of which have ornamental foliage. The soil in which they are grown should be light and rich. Cuttings planted in sand under glass strike readily. The tender annual varieties may be sown on a hotbed in spring, and placed in the border at the end of May in a dry, sheltered situation, where they will flower in June. Height, 1 ft. ”

“ The limp stems of the common tomatoes are in all respects indicative of the cultivated condition. They cannot hold themselves erect, but must be tied up to supports. The color of the leaves is a paler green than should be expected from a wild plant. Considering other species of the genus Solanum, of which the Lycopersicum is a subdivision, the stems are as a rule erect and self-supporting, with some few exceptions. ”

“ In 1882 Professor Todd published his interesting observations [D] on the pollination of Solanum rostratum and Cassia chamæcrista. Since that time, so far as the writers are aware, nothing has appeared upon this subject. During the months of August and September, 1901, opportunity was afforded the writers for making more extended observations on these species. The notes here given are the result of these observations. In some respects, these observations, or the conclusions drawn from them, differ essentially from those made by Professor Todd; in others they are practically the same. ”

“ Book III, Section VI, for example, consists of ten genera of Compositæ, while Book III, Section II includes six Crucifers. Other sections contain plants of more than one family, but yet show a distinct feeling for relationship. For instance, Book V, Section I includes Solanum, Mandragora, Hyoscyamus, Nicotiana, Papaver, Hypecoum and Argemone—that is to say four genera from the Solanaceæ followed by three from the Papaveraceæ. ”

“ The chief centre of the order lies in Central and South America; 32 of the genera are endemic in this region. It is represented in Britain by three genera including 4 species: Hyoscyamus niger (henbane) , Solanum Dulcamara (Bittersweet) and S. nigrum and Atropa Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) .
The plants are herbs, shrubs or small trees. Solanum nigrum, a common weed in waste places, is a low-growing annual herb; S. Dulcamara is an irregularly climbing herb perennial by means of a widely creeping rhizome; Atropa Belladonna is a large perennial herb. ”

“ Corolla rotate; anthers close together (flowers in summer) — 2. 1b. Corolla not rotate; anthers separate — 5. 2a. Stem and leaves prickly (3-8 dm. high) — 3. 2b. Stem and leaves not prickly — 4. 3a. Flowers white or bluish Horse Nettle, Solanum carolinense. 3b. Flowers yellow Buffalo Bur, Solanum rostratum. 4a. Climbing vine; leaves frequently lobed (flowers blue) Bittersweet, Solanum dulcamara. 4b. Not climbing; leaves toothed (flowers white) Nightshade, Solanum nigrum. 5a. Climbing or trailing shrub, with purplish, white, or greenish flowers about 1 cm. ”

“ The sepals persist and often become enlarged in the fruit. The
corolla is regular and rotate as in Solanum (fig. 2) , or bell-shaped as in Atropa, or somewhat irregular as in Hyoscyamus; in the tribe Salpiglossideae, which forms a link with the closely allied order Scrophulariaceae, it is zygomorphic, forming, e.g. as in Schizanthus (fig. 3) , a two-lipped flower. The stamens are inserted on the corolla tube and alternate with its lobes; in zygomorphic flowers only two or four fertile stamens are present ”

“ S. rotundifolia is a very handsome large-leaved Smilax with shiny foliage, now and then met with as S. laurifolia or S. latifolia, from which, however, according to Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, of Cambridge, it is distinct. All the kinds of hardy Smilax form handsome leafy creepers for walls, but in our climate they rarely produce the rich clusters of red berries that often render them so attractive abroad.
Solanum.—S. jasminoides is the most popular flowering climber of the south-west, producing its white bloom-clusters for many months in succession. ”

“ Its fertility is extreme; only the severest winter-frosts can crush out its prolific life. The fruits which succeed to the flowers are smaller berries or "apples" than those of the potato. (See Fig. 20.)
In the history of botany, and even in that of philosophy, [83] the Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum) has a certain interest. Thus, says M. Hoefer, both Cordus and Jean Bauhin, botanists of the sixteenth century, have described the flower of this plant as if its corolla were composed of five distinct petals. ”

“ The Solanums.—This family, so wonderfully varied, affords numerous species that look graceful and imposing in leaf when in a young and free-growing state. In selecting examples from this great genus we must be careful, as our climate is a shade too cold for some of the kinds grown on the continent, and many of them are of too ragged an aspect to be tolerated in a tasteful garden. Half a dozen species or so are indispensable, but there is quite a crowd of narrow-leaved and ignoble ones which may well be passed over. ”

“ Physicians perform gastric lavage and treat gastric inflammation and circulatory failure.
[Pg 3]
BITTERSWEET
European bittersweet, blue nightshade, woody nightshade
Solanum dulcamara—SOLANACEAE
Description: A woody climbing or reclining herb with slender stems and dark green pointed leaves which may be purplish-green when young. Clusters of white or purplish-white flowers borne on a 5-pointed, wheel-shaped base (calyx) . During summer and early fall, fruits become attractive berries, bright red to scarlet, and are scattered in clusters. They remain when leaves fall. ”

“ The veins are spinous in Solanum Pyracantha, Exot. Bot. t., &c.
Inerme, unarmed, is opposed to spinous.
Ciliatum, fringed, bordered with soft parallel hairs, as Galium cruciatum, Engl. Bot. t..
Cartilagineum, cartilaginous, hard and horny, as Saxifraga callosa, Dicks. Dr. Pl. n. 63.
Dentatum, toothed, beset with projecting, horizontal, rather distant teeth of its own substance, as Atriplex laciniata, Engl. Bot. t., Hypochæris maculata, t., and the lower leaves of Centaurea Cyanus, t.; also Nymphæa Lotus, Curt. Mag. t.. ”

“ Japicanga Griseb., 714 ” lanceæfolia Roxb., 712 ” medica Schl. et Cham., 704 ” officinalis Humb. Boupl. et Kth, 704. 707 ” papyracea Poiret, 705 ” Pseudo-China L., 714 ” Purhampuy Ruiz, 705 ” Schomburgkiana Kunth, 705 ” syphilitica H.B. et K., 205 ” syringoides Griseb., 714 ” tamnifolia Michaux, 714 Snake-root, black, 15 ” Red River, 593 ” Texan, 593 ” Virginian, 592 Socaloïn, 688 Soffar, 234 Solanaceæ, 450 Solanicine, 451 Solanidine, 451 Solanine, 451 Solanum Dulcamara L., 450 ” nigrum L., 450 ” tuberosum L., 633 Solazzi Juice, 184 Solenostemma Argel Hayne, 218. ”

“ The buds of some produce leaves only, others flowers; while in other species the same bud bears both leaves and flowers. Different causes, depending on the soil or situation, seem in one case to generate leaf-buds, in another flower-buds. Thus the Solandra grandiflora, Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 6. 99. t. 6, a Jamaica shrub, was for a number of years cultivated in the English stoves, and propagated extensively by cuttings, each plant growing many feet in length every season, from abundance of moisture and nourishment, without showing any signs of fructification. ”

“ The flowers are drooping, and in Brugmansia suaveolens, formerly Datura arborea, they are very fragrant. The anthers grow together. The capsule is two-celled, smooth, and of a golden yellow, and the seeds are each covered with a thick corky skin. In Solandra, a nearly allied genus, the calyx bursts on one side, and the lobes of the corolla are not cuspidate, but rounded and fringed. The stamens also project beyond the mouth of the corolla, and the capsule is four-celled. The species of Solandra are all stove-trees. ”

“ There are five stamens, the anthers of which are two-celled like those of most other plants, and the filaments are inserted in the corolla, which is generally partly tubular411 with a spreading limb, the segments of which are plaited, that is, each bears the crease of a fold in the middle, as may be seen in the Petunia. In the order Verbascinæ, the corolla is rotate, and the segments are not plaited; the anthers also are only one-celled. Most of the plants belonging to Solanaceæ are poisonous in a raw state; but they lose their deleterious qualities when cooked. ”

“ A bank where wake-robin lifts its bonny head is always fair to see. The plant has certain boon companions always sure to be close at hand. The Solomon’s seal is one of these, its roots bearing to this day the round marks imagined by the early foresters to be none other than the seal of Solomon, the son of David, 14 (on both of whom be peace!) There is no more exquisite green than the beautiful, shining leaves of this plant, with its tiny white bells of flowers. ”

“ Legend tells us that Solon in his old age, when the tyranny had now come, piled his armour in front of his house door—probably near the Market-place of Pisistratus—and turned from politics to a serene enjoyment of the pleasures of ear and eye and intellect to which he had, indeed, never been a stranger. His life had always been consistent with his own epigram:—
“And still as I age, learning many a lesson.” ”