The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-24
The Nightshade Family.

ertleS that make It's study especially
attractive. The botanical name of the
order is Soldnace. According to Wood,
1T includes sixty-four genera and one
thousand or more species. These are
found in all climates, though most nu-
merous in the torrid zone. Only five
wild species are found in Vermont.
One of the noticeable features of this
family is the presence of narcotic ele-
ment in nearly all species which, when
powerful enough, makes them danger
ously poisonous. Wood says that even
in those most used for food this mar
cotic principle is not absent, but is ex-
PEELED by cooking or ripening in the
sun. Is it not strange that a plant may
be poisonous at one period of its growth
and nutritious at another? Some spe-
cies, too, as we shall notice later, are
posons at all stages of their growth.
BY far the most important species is
the potato, SOldnum tuberoSum. This
plant is a native of the tropical parts of
America, the exact locality being un-
known. 1t was first carried to Europe
by Spanards about the beginning of
the sixteenth century, and was intro
duced into Ireland in 1865 and
into England twenty years later. Sir
Walter Raleigh also brought it to Eng
land from Virginia, and it did not come
into general use for some time after
ward. All references to the potato in
Europen writings previous to the sew
enteenth century must be understood
to mean the sweet potato. The Irish
potato is often spoken of, but the name
is misnomer. The plant is distinct
lively American, and was unknown in
Ireland till after the middle of the six
teenth century. AS food-plant it is
of great value, ranking next to the
cereals.
The tomato or love-apple, LycoSper-
sicum eSculentum, was long supposed to
be poisonous and was cultivated in gar
dens as an ornamental plant before its
real nature became known. Its gen.
eral use for food does not antedate the
present century. Like the potato, it is
indigenous to America. Tobacco re-
ceives its scientific name, NicOtiana, in
honor of John Nicot, who introduced
it into France. This plant was used
for smoking by the Indians before
Europeans visited the Continent. The
IL natives of the West Indies made rude
cigars by wrapping rolls of tobacco
with leaves of maize. Some tribes re-
l. garded it as sacred plant, and it was
. always used in smoking the calumet,
} or peace-pipe. 1t has been claimed
that the Chinese used the weed for
smoking before the discovery of Amer
lea If this is true, it is certain that
the custom did not spread to adjoining
countries. About the beginning of the
}. seventeenth century the smoking habit
became quite prevalent in Europe and
rapidly spread into all parts of the civ
iliZed world.
!. The fruit of the egg-plant-Solanunl
eSculentum, is a nutritious food. In
size it varies from that of an egg to an
, ordinary watermelon, and is of dark
purple color. A smaller variety is
white and closely resembles a hens
egg. Cayenne pepper is made by grind
ing the dried fruit of certain plants OF
the genus CapSicom. None of the
species of this genus possesses the mar
cotic principle common to most night
shades. This fruit is pungent, stimu'
liant and a valuable medicine. 1t is
used either green or ripe for picking
but only when ripe for making cayenne
pepper. The medicines, belladonna
stramonium and henbane, are products
of plants belonging to the Magistrates.
These drugs are all poisonous, but are
valuable medicines, nevertheless An
overdose of any would be dangerous
but in the hands OF careful physician
they may be used successfully in the
treatment of certain diseases.
Black nightshade, Soldnltm nigru
is plant common in waste places il
all parts of the world 1t has ovate
notched leaves, often perforated, as II
gnawed by insects, small, dropping
white flowers and smooth, glossy black
berries little smaller than black cher
ries.. The stem is branching and from
~ one to two feet high The entire plant
is, as one botanist expresses it, of {
suspicious aspect. This and the fol
lowing species are found in Vernon
t. and are considered poisonous.
Bitter-sweet, .Soldlum dulcdmdr0, is
woody climbing plant, with leaves re
sembling those of the potato, purple
IL dropping flowers on branching pedun
cles and smooth red berries abou
the size of high cranberries. This is the
true bitter-sweet, though the staff-tree
CelaStrtS scandenS, is often called by it
name. To distinguish them we have
but to remember that the bitter-swee
proper is not often more than seven o
eight feet in length, that it is climb
ing plant and its fruit berry, while
the staff-tree is twining vine, attain
= ing four or five times the length o.
bitter-sweet, aud its fruit capsule hay
+ ing seeds enclosed in scarlet aril. Ii
= most of the preceding species thu
flowers are small and not Iorthy an,
= special notice. This is not true of tn,
petunia, which, though last named il
N this sketch, is not least in the estima
- ton of lovers of flowers. 1t is a nativ
of South America and has but two dis
l. tinct species. BY mixing these in cul
tivation an almost infinite number o
k varieties may be produced.
/ Form and Feature,