Download With a magnifier. Leaves alternate, two inches long, attenuated

S O L
SOL
With a magnifier. Leaves alternate, two inches long,
attenuated, acute, fmooth on both fides, obfcurely
veined, on fmooth petioles half an inch in length.
Peduncles firft four, then two, growing out farther
along with the branchlet, filiform, one flowering firft,
the length of the petiole, the other Ihorter. Calyx
fmooth, fubcampanulate, three times Ihorter than the
corolla, ten-toothed": teeth linear-fubulate, equal. Corolla fmooth. This and the next fpecies approach to
S. fugax.—Native of Cayenne, where it was found by
von Rohr.
1 3 . Stem feemingto be twining, fhrubby, unarmed.
Branches round, fmooth, flexuofe, even : branchlets
axillary, alternate, bent back as if broken, rigid, bearing leaves and flowers at the top, fometimes forked.
Leaves alternate, attenuated, quite entire, fimply and
obfcurely veined, an inch and half long, often two at
the end of the branchlets, one fmaller than the other.
Petiole Ihorter by half than the ^ranchlet. Peduncles
filiform, an inch long or rather lefs, aggregate, axillary, four, at the ends of the branchlets five or fix,
one-flowered. , Calyx truncate, entire, fmooth. C o rolla five-cleft, three times as long as the calyx : fegments ovate.—Allied to S. geminatum, but differing
in having ftouter branchlets bent back as if broken,
more peduncles, toothlefs calyxes, and fmaller flowers.
Native of South America \
1 4 . This is a fhrub higher than a man, evergreen,
weak, fcandent, fmooth and unarmed. Stems feveral,
the thicknefs of a reed or of a finger, brown, fpringing from a brown root as big as the fift. Branches
numerous, round, divaricating. Leaves alternate, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, quite entire,
on fhort petioles, bright green, from two to four inches
long.
Peduncles one-flowered, axillary, moftly two
together, fometimes three or only one, flender. Flower
elegant but without fcent. Calyx fmail, obtufe, and
cut into many unequal parts. Corolla large, fpreading
very much, thin, rounded, blue with a five-rayed ftar,
green and protuberant beneath fo as to be like a calyx
and exterior corolla j its acute points ftretch beyond
the border. Anthers yellow. Style green. Stigma
capitate, bifid. Berry globular, the fize of a p e a .
According to Willdenow, it feems to differ from
the preceding,, to which it is allied, in the fize of the
flower, and in the calyx. In his fpecimen the peduncles are in twos, threes and fours, always axillary, without any terminating ones, and the calyx is four, five
or fix-toothed, with the teeth unequal.
1 5 . Root perennial, woody, according to Dr. Beddoes, fmelling like the Potato. Stem ihrubby, roundifh,
branched,, twifted and climbing to the height of feveral
feet. Leaves alternate, petioled, ovate-lanceolate, quite
entire, fmooth, foft, veiny; . the lower cordate, the
upper more or lefs haftate. Flowers in racemes or
cyme-fhaped panicles, but not properly in cymes,
oppofite to a leaf or terminating, nodding, very elegant, purple with two green dots at the bafe of each
fegment, and the fegments reflexed. Anthers large,
yellow or lemon-coloured and connate. Berries elliptic, fcarlet, very juicy, bitter and poifonous . Seeds
flat, fo me what kidney-fhaped, of a yellowifh colour.
The flem is thinly fet with fmall pointed tubercles.
The younger branches are often purple. T h e proper
peduncles are bulbous at the bafe, or grow out of a
kind of focket. T h e calyx is purplifh, with blunt
fegments.
The mouth of the corolla is dark and
mining, and the fegments are lanceolate. T h e filaments are very fhort and of a dark purple colour.
T h e anthers have two holes at the top of each, out of
which the pollen is difcharged . A t the firft opening of the flower they are readily feparable, but afterwards growing drier, they will fooner tear than be disjointed .
Native of Europe, Africa and Siberia, in moifl
hedges, fhady places and the fides of ditches; flowering in June and july. The berries are ripe in feptember and October.
T h e roots and flalks of JWoody Nightfhade, upon
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* Vahl, eel.
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x Jacquin.
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Smith.
* Withering,
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* Curtis.
being chewed, firft caufe a fenfation of bitternefs*
which is foon followed by a confiderable degree of
fweetnefs j whence this plant obtained die names of
Dulcamara and Bitterfweet. T h e berries excite vomiting and purging V Floyer fays that thirty of them
killed a dog in lefs than three hours, remaining undigefted in his ftomach. A s they are common in
hedges, and may be miftaken by children for red currants, this circumftance is the more worthy of notice.
In fuch a cafe it is advifeable to pour down as much
warm water as poflible, to dilute the poifon and provoke vomiting, till farther affiftance can be had.
T h e old botanifts recommend this plant as a medicine in many difeafes. R a y informs us, that the inhabitants of Weftphalia, make ufe of a decoction of
the whole plant as their common drink, with fuccefs
againft the fcurvy . Boerhaave fays, it is a medicine
far fuperior to China and Sarfaparilla, as a fweetener
and reftorative: and Linneus, that an infufion of
the young twigs is an admirable medicine in acute
rheumatifms, inflammations, fevers, and fnppreflion
of the lochia. Dr. Hallenberg advifes it in ifchiatic
and rheumatic pains, jaundice, fcurvy, and lues venerea.
They direct a pint of boiling water to be poured upon
two drams of the flalks fliced and dried; after Handing half an hour, it mult be boiled ten or fifteen minutes. T h e dofe is two tea-cups full or more morning and evening . Haller obferves that the Dulcamara partakes of the milder qualities of common or
garden Nightfhade, joined to a refolvent and faponaceous quality. Murray and Bergius regard it as
promoting all the fecretions. T h e latter confines its
ufe to rheumatifm and retention of the menfes and
lochia. But according to other good authorities, it
has been applied with advantage in fome obftinate cutaneous affections.—Dr. Cullen fays, we have employed only the flender twigs, but fome parcels of
thefe were very mild and inert, others confiderably
acrid. In the latter ftate we have employed a decoction of them in the cure of rheumatifm, fometimes
with advantage, but at other times without any effect.
Though the Dulcamara be inferted in the catalogue
of diuretics, it has never appeared to us as powerful
in this way; for in all the trials made, here, it has
hardly ever been obferved to be in any meafure diuretic. T h e twigs mould be gathered either in fpring
or autumn, but will be found moft powerful in the
latter feafon. If ufed dry, a fomewhat larger dofe
muft be taken. This plant is generally given in decoction or infufion ; and to prevent its exciting vomit,
it fhould be diluted with milk ; fmall dofes alfo are recommended at the beginning, for large ones have been
found to produce convulfions, delirium, and palfy of
the tongue . M r . Saunders, author of an elegant in-.
traduction to Botany, publifhed in 1 7 9 2 , has, in the
courfe of an extenfive country practice, ufed the Dulcamara with great fuccefs, and without the inconveniences juft mentioned .
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¡3, It is fometimes found with flem-coloured and
with white flowers. ] Miller fays, the leaves of this are
woolly, and that the difference is conftant.
[7. On the fea coaft it has the leaves hairy, according to Hudfon. R a y fays, that Dr. Brown, fellow of
Magdalen College, Oxford, a very fkilful botanift,
confirmed to him that this plant differed from the
common Woody Nightfhade in its whole habit.—
Lhwyd found it near Uyfni river in Caernarvonfhire;
but it is on the fouthern coafts of our ifland in many
places .
<T. Willdenow affirms, that Dillenius's African Sol.
Dulcamara is without doubt a diftinct fpecies. T h e
flowers are larger, opening only about noon, of a paler
colour, the fegments lefs acuminate and not reflexed;
the branches end in many peduncles, dichotomoufly
divided and fubdivided j towards the top they are angular and rough, below they are round, hairy and lefs
rough,
Leaves on the flowering-branches fmaller,
pointed at both ends and entire ; on the barren branches
bigger, and wider at the bafe, the lower ones entire
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Wocdville.
* Curtis.
e Engl. bot.
* Withering.
Ray fyn.
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Woodville.
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