The Henbane.
The other species—the Woody Nightshade or Bittersweet (S. Dulcamara)—is much more common, and may be seen straggling among the hedgerow shrubs almost everywhere. It is a woody climber that supports itself by means of its zig-zag stem, and often reaches a height of six feet or more. The flower seems to be very well known, but is often, if not generally, spoken of as the Deadly Nightshade, which is a much rarer species with quite a different habit and appearance. The leaves are stalked, and usually more or less heart-shaped. Sometimes they are entire, but frequently there is a small lobe on each side of the base. The flowers, though rather small, are very pretty, the conspicuous cone of yellow anthers forming a bright centre to the spreading purple corolla. They bloom from June to September; and towards the end of the season the bright red fruits may be seen in abundance while the flowers are still appearing.
The Woody Nightshade or Bittersweet.
The true Deadly Nightshade or Dwale (Atropa belladonna), of the same order, is a very local plant, occurring principally in waste places in the South of England. It is an erect, branching herb, either smooth or slightly downy, reaching a height of two or three feet, and flowering from June to September. The leaves are large stalked, ovate, and entire; and each one has, usually, a smaller leaf, growing from the same point on the stem and looking like a stipule. The flowers are very different in general appearance from those of the other nightshades. They are large—about an inch long, and solitary, on short stalks, in the axils of the leaves or in the forks of the stem. The calyx is a broad bell, deeply cut into five lobes; and the corolla is a deep, regular bell, of a pale purple colour, with five short, broad lobes. The fruit is a large, poisonous berry, almost globular, but flattened above.
The Deadly Nightshade.
On waysides and in neglected fields we meet with the very common Red Bartsia (Bartsia Odontites) of the order Scrophulariaceæ. This is a small, tough plant (see [Plate III]), from six inches to a foot or more in height, rather downy, with spreading branches. It may be readily recognised by its several one-sided spikes of numerous purple-red flowers, with a bell-shaped, four-pointed calyx, and a corolla that is divided into a longer upper, and a shorter lower, lip. The leaves are long and narrow, with a few teeth; and the fruit is an oblong capsule. The above description applies to the most usual form of this plant, but it is a very variable species, especially as regards the form of the leaves and the branching of the stem.