View source for Deadly nightshade

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Solanaceae
|genus=Atropa
|common_name=Deadly nightshade
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Atropa Bella-donna3.jpg
|image_width=240
}}
'''''Atropa belladonna''''', commonly known as '''belladonna''' or '''deadly nightshade''', is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herbaceous plant]] in the family [[Solanaceae]], native to [[Europe]], [[North Africa]], and [[Western Asia]]. The foliage and [[Berry|berries]] are extremely [[toxin|toxic]], containing [[tropane|tropane alkaloid]]s.<ref name=Michael1998>{{Cite book| last = Michael| year = 1998| title = Alkaloids : biochemistry, ecology, and medicinal applications| pages = 20| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bMCzyrAtrvYC&pg=PA20&dq=hallucinogenic++Atropa+belladonna&lr=&ei=Xe-ySYSOOY3qkQSU_Mm6Dg&client=firefox-a#PPA20,M1| isbn = 0306454653| publisher = Plenum Press| location = New York}}</ref> These toxins include [[scopolamine]] and [[hyoscyamine]] which cause a bizarre [[delirium]] and [[hallucination]]s.<ref name=Wilson2008>{{Cite book| last = Wilson | first =  Jeremy Foster Heather| year = 2008| title = Buzzed : the straight facts about the most used and abused drugs from alcohol to ecstasy| pages = 107| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=0SjhNDtBerYC&pg=PA107&dq=hallucinogenic++Atropa+belladonna&ei=iOqySYryBZXSlQSkxcW5Dg&client=firefox-a#PPA107,M1| isbn = 0393329852| publisher = W.W. Norton| location = New York City}}</ref> The drug [[atropine]] is derived from the plant.

It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the [[Middle Ages]], it was used as an [[Anesthesia|anesthetic]] for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, [[Ancient Rome|ancient Romans]], including the wives of two Emperors, and by [[Macbeth of Scotland]] before he became a Scottish King.

The genus name &quot;atropa&quot; comes from [[Atropos]], one of the three [[Moirae|Fates]] in [[Greek mythology]] (the one who cuts the thread of life), and the name &quot;atropa bella donna&quot; is derived from an admonition in [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] meaning &quot;do not betray a beautiful lady&quot;.<ref name=&quot;spiegl&quot;/><ref name=&quot;harris&quot;/><ref name=&quot;groombridge&quot;/>

[[Image:Atropa bella-donna1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Atropa belladonna'']]
''Atropa belladonna'' is a branching [[herbaceous]] perennial, often growing as a [[subshrub]], from a fleshy rootstock. Plants grow to {{convert|1.5|m|ft}} tall with {{convert|18|cm|in}} long ovate leaves. The bell-shaped [[flower]]s are dull purple with green tinges and faintly scented. The [[fruit]]s are [[berry|berries]], which are green ripening to a shiny black, and approximately {{convert|1|cm|in}} in diameter. The berries are sweet and are consumed by animals that disperse the [[seed]]s in their droppings, even though the seeds contain toxic [[alkaloid]]s.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kay QON |title=Edible fruits in a cool climate: the evolution and ecology of endozoochory in the European flora. In: Fruit and Seed Production: Aspects of Development, Environmental Physiology and Ecology (Society for Experimental Biology Seminar Series) (Ed. by C. Marshall and J. Grace)|publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |year=2008 |pages=240 |isbn=0-521-05045-6 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> There is a pale yellow flowering form called ''Atropa belladonna'' var. ''lutea'' with pale yellow fruit.

''Atropa belladona'' is rarely used in gardens, but when grown it is usually for its large upright [[habit (biology)|habit]] and showy berries.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stuart, David |title=Dangerous garden: the quest for plants to change our lives |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge |year=2004 |pages=49 |isbn=0-674-01104-X |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> It is [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] in parts of [[North America]], where it is often found in shady, moist locations with [[limestone]]-rich [[soil]]s. It is considered a [[weed]] species in parts of the world,<ref>http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATBE</ref> where it colonizes areas with disturbed soils.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Stepp JR |title=The role of weeds as sources of pharmaceuticals |journal=J Ethnopharmacol |volume=92 |issue=2-3 |pages=163–6 |year=2004 |month=June |pmid=15137997 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.03.002 |url=}}</ref> [[Germination]] of the small seeds is often difficult, due to hard seed coats that cause seed [[dormancy]]. Germination takes several weeks under alternating temperature conditions but can be sped up with the use of [[gibberellic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Genova E, Komitska G, Beeva Y|title=Study on the germination of Atropa Bella-Donna L. Seeds|url=http://www.bio21.bas.bg/ipp/gapbfiles/v-23/97_1-2_61-66.pdf|format=PDF|journal=Bulgarian Journal of Plant Physiology|volume=23|issue=1-2|pages=61–66|year=1997|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The seedlings need [[sterilization (microbiology)|sterile]] [[soil]] to prevent [[damping off]] and resent root disturbance during transplanting.

{{Inc|
Atropa belladonna, Linn. Plant erect, branching, leafy: Lvs. ovate, entire, pointed: fls. single or in pairs, nodding on lateral peduncles; corolla blue-purple or often greenish purple. Eu. to India. 
}}

==Cultivation==


===Propagation===


===Pests and diseases===


==Varieties==


==Gallery==

<gallery perrow=5>
File:Atropa Bella-donna3.jpg|Flowers of ''belladonna''
Image:Atropa bella-donna0.jpg|Berries of ''belladonna''
File:Atropa Bella-donna2.jpg|Leaves of ''belladonna''
Image:Koeh-018.jpg| Botanical illustration
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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