Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/163

 SOLANUM SOLAR TIME 155 it hag yellow flowers, one of the anthers of which is much larger than the others, and, being prolonged into a long curved beak, has given the species its name ; the small berry is included in the very spiny calyx. This has been introduced into gardens, and in some places has become a weed ; the plant is inter- esting from the fact that it afforded the Colo- rado potato beetle its chief food before the in- troduction of the potato in the far west. (See POTATO BUG.) One of the worst weeds of cultivation is S. Carolinense, known in some localities as horse nettle, and in others as ap- ple of Sodom ; it has a perennial root, with prickly stems a foot or more high ; the oblong, sinuate leaves prickly on both sides ; the blu- ish white flowers, in small lateral racemes, are succeeded by orange-yellow berries about a third of an inch in diameter. This is especial- ly abundant and troublesome in the southern states, and is sparingly found as far north as Connecticut. It is very hard to extirpate, and in some parts of Delaware it has gained such complete possession of the soil as to lessen ma- terially the value of farms, and in some cases to cause fields to be abandoned. A climbing species, S. dulcamara, is popularly known as bitter-sweet ; the rind of the stalks is said to taste at first bitter and afterward sweet, a pe- culiarity recognized in the Latin name, dulcis- amara, given to the plant in the 16th century. It is a native of Europe, is thoroughly natu- ralized in all the older states, and is not rare in cultivation. The stem is somewhat climb- ing, and grows to the height of 6 to 10 ft. ; it is woody at the base, but the upper part is killed back every winter ; the leaves are usual- ly ovate-heart-shaped, but frequently the up- per ones have a lobe on each side at the base Bitter-sweet (Solanum dulcamara). and become halberd-shaped; the flowers are in small cymes; the corolla is pale blue or purple, against which the large yellow anthers appear in strong contrast, and make them rather showy ; they are succeeded by an oval berry about half an inch long, and bright red ; the plant begins to bloom in June and con- tinues till autumn, and flowers and fruit in every intermediate stage up to full ripeness may usually be found upon it. Though bitter- sweet has been in use as a medicine for some centuries, there is very little positive knowl- edge concerning it; it appears to contain a very small amount of solanine in a moditied form ; it has been used in gout and rheuma- tism, in various affections of the chest, and in skin diseases. The berries are very showy, and, being not unpleasant to the taste, are lia- ble to be eaten by children ; in regard to their effects there is the most opposite testimony; some authors assert that they are highly poi- sonous, while Garrod says that he has admin- istered to a patient half a pound of the fresh berries daily with no ill effect. Several spe- Ornamental-leaved Solanum (S. TVarscewiczii). cies of solanum are ornamental plants in the greenhouse and garden ; some of these, valued for their ornamental fruit, are described under JEEUSALEM CHEERY. The jasmine-like sola- num (8. jasminoides) is a tall, climbing house plant from Brazil, with dark green, smooth, ovate or heart-shaped leaves, and large clus- ters of white or slightly bluish and pleasantly fragrant flowers, produced in profusion ; it is an admirable greenhouse climber, and is often planted out in summer ; in the southern states' the root remains alive through the winter. Some of the erect tropical species have a very robust habit of growth and ample foliage ; in some the large leaves are handsomely cut ; in others they are marked by pleasing contrasts of color, and the flowers are often showy. Among the best are S. crinitum, S. macran- thum, 8. marginatum, and S. Warscewiczii, which grow from 3 to 8 ft. high and are highly ornamental. SOLAR SYSTEM, See PLANET, and Sux. SOLAR TIME. See DAY.