[Illustration: PURPLE NIGHTSHADE]
Leaves alternate; calyx 4-6-lobed; petals united, 5; stamens 5, on
corolla-tube, anthers often opening by apical pores; ovary 2-celled;
fruit a capsule or berry.
Purple Nightshade (_Solanum elaeagnifolium_) is sometimes called
silver-leaved nightshade or “trompillo.” Although bearing lovely
star-shaped lavender flowers, the purple nightshade is considered a
pernicious weed in fields and gardens. It grows from deep, woody
perennial roots and blooms profusely even in seasons of drouth from May
to October. It is found on plains from Missouri to Texas and Arizona.
The branched plants grow 1-3 ft. high and are more or less covered with
prickles. The yellow fruits resemble small tomatoes and remain on the
old stalks for months. They are said to be poisonous.
Torrey’s Nightshade (_Solanum torreyi_) is a plant similar to the purple
nightshade, but it has broader, irregularly-toothed leaves and larger
flowers and seldom grows as high.
The solanum group comprises nearly a thousand species and includes many
well-known plants, among which are the Irish potato and the egg-plant.
Bitter-sweet and Jerusalem cherry are cultivated for their showy fruits.
Several members of the group are said to be very poisonous.
[Illustration: BUFFALO-BUR]
Buffalo-Bur. Yellow Nightshade (_Solanum rostratum_) is a common weed in
waste places and on prairies from Tennessee to Mexico, but the spreading
plants are often covered with their yellow star blossoms. Children call
them sticker-weeds because of the vicious prickles on the foliage. They
are also called tread-softly, Texas nettle, prickly potato, and
bumble-bee bush, the latter name being given because of the numerous bee
visitors. The name of buffalo-bur dates back to the days when buffaloes
roamed the plains, the prickly fruits clinging to the shaggy coats of
the huge beasts.
The yellow flowers which bloom from May to October resemble those of the
purple nightshade in shape and size. The stamens of the nightshades shed
their pollen through small openings at the top of the pollen-sac. The
buffalo-bur has one stamen very much larger than the other four. The
leaves are once or twice divided into broad rounded segments. The
berries are enclosed in the enlarged and spiny calyx.
[Illustration: LOW GROUND CHERRY PURPLE GROUND CHERRY]
Low Ground Cherry (_Physalis mollis_) is a common weed throughout the
state and ranges to Arkansas, Mexico, and California. The flowers and
fruits are usually hidden beneath the leaves. The fruit, a berry very
much like a small tomato, is enclosed in the enlarged sac-like calyx.
The scientific name is from the Greek word meaning “bladder” and refers
to the inflated calyx. Some ground cherries are cultivated for their
fruits which are edible and are used for making preserves and pies.
Purple Ground Cherry (_Physalis lobata_) flaunts its gay purple flowers
for all to see. The plant has low, spreading branches which are covered
with purple blooms, one inch broad. It ranges from Mexico to Kansas and
California, blooming in Texas from spring to fall.
The potato family includes the tomato and tobacco plants. Wild tobacco
(_Nicotiana repanda_) is very abundant in the southern part of the
state. The white flowers resemble those of the cultivated petunia, which
also belongs to this family.