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{{SPlantbox
|common_name=Deadly nightshade
|Temp Metric=°F
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{{Inc|
Atropa belladonna, Linn. Fig. 436. 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.
}}
{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| color = lightgreen
==Description==
==Description==
[[Image:Atropa bella-donna1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Atropa belladonna'']]
[[Image:Atropa bella-donna1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Atropa belladonna'']]
The Belladonna has dull green [[leaf|leaves]] and bell-shaped [[flower]]s that are an unremarkable shade of purple, which yield black, shiny [[berry|berries]] measuring approximately 1 [[centimetre|cm]] in diameter. The berries are sweet, but most of their alkaloids are in the seed. It is an [[herbaceous]] shrub, and can grow to be approximately one [[metre]] tall. The leaves have an oily, "[[Poison-ivy (plant)|poison ivy]]"-like feel and can cause vesicular [[pustular eruption]]s if handled carelessly. Many animals, such as [[rabbit]]s, birds and [[deer]], seem to eat the plant without suffering harmful effects, though dogs and cats are affected. Many reports suggest that people have been poisoned by eating animals which have previously eaten Belladonna, though this has not been verified.
The Belladonna has dull green [[leaf|leaves]] and bell-shaped [[flower]]s that are an unremarkable shade of purple, which yield black, shiny [[berry|berries]] measuring approximately 1 [[centimetre|cm]] in diameter. The berries are sweet, but most of their alkaloids are in the seed. It is an [[herbaceous]] shrub, and can grow to be approximately one [[metre]] tall. The leaves have an oily, "[[Poison-ivy (plant)|poison ivy]]"-like feel and can cause vesicular [[pustular eruption]]s if handled carelessly. Many animals, such as [[rabbit]]s, birds and [[deer]], seem to eat the plant without suffering harmful effects, though dogs and cats are affected. Many reports suggest that people have been poisoned by eating animals which have previously eaten Belladonna, though this has not been verified.
[[Germination]] is often difficult due to the presence of germination inhibitors in the seeds. Belladonna is not common as a garden plant, and is considered a [[weed]] in some areas. It is not a very hardy perennial and is sensitive to being transplanted. [[Germination]] requires several weeks in warm, moist, absolutely [[sterilization (microbiology)|sterile]] [[soil]], usually far from normal garden conditions.
[[Germination]] is often difficult due to the presence of germination inhibitors in the seeds. Belladonna is not common as a garden plant, and is considered a [[weed]] in some areas. It is not a very hardy perennial and is sensitive to being transplanted. [[Germination]] requires several weeks in warm, moist, absolutely [[sterilization (microbiology)|sterile]] [[soil]], usually far from normal garden conditions.
== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
*[[Alcoholics Anonymous]] co-founder Bill Wilson reports having undergone the "belladonna cure" while hospitalized for what would become his final encounter with alcohol in 1935.[http://www.12step.org/steps/bigbook.php#Chapter1]
*[[Alcoholics Anonymous]] co-founder Bill Wilson reports having undergone the "belladonna cure" while hospitalized for what would become his final encounter with alcohol in 1935.[http://www.12step.org/steps/bigbook.php#Chapter1]
==See also==
==See also==