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Solanaceae FAMILY

Atropa belladonna

Atropa belladonna

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The whole plant, and especially the root, is very poisonous and can be fatal. It contains the alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine and bellodonnine. Symptoms include fever, rapid pulse, dilation of pupils, hot and dry flushed skin, headache, dry mouth, difficulty of swallowing, burning of the throat, hallucinations and convulsions[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. , 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 10 Title Poisonous Plants and Animals. Publication Author Altmann. H. Publisher Chatto and Windus Year 1980 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8 Description A small book, reasonable but not very detailed. , 19 Title Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Stary. F. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3 Description Not very comprehensive, but easy reading. , 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. , 165 Title The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. Publication Author Mills. S. Y. Publisher Year ISBN Description An excellent small herbal. , 287 Title Flora of Pakistan Publication Author Website http://www.efloras.org Publisher Year ISBN Description As of 2006, there is not much information on habitats available, but it is being developed and promises to be an excellent resource. , 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ]. Even handling the plant has been known to cause problems if the person has cuts or grazes on the hand[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. ]. The plant is particularly dangerous for children since the fruit looks attractive and has a sweet taste[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. ]. The toxins are concentrated in the ripe fruit, and can cause delerium and dilation of the pupils[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 287 Title Flora of Pakistan Publication Author Website http://www.efloras.org Publisher Year ISBN Description As of 2006, there is not much information on habitats available, but it is being developed and promises to be an excellent resource. ].

Botanical Description

Atropa belladonna is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing one or more erect, branching stems up to 160cm tall from a taproot; This species is widely cultivated, especially in eastern Europe, for the medically active compounds it contains. These are used in the pharmaceutical industry to produce a range of medicines[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate
Native RangeEurasia - Germany and Britain to Spain east to Ukraine and the Caucasus, to Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran; N. Africa - Morocco, Algeria
HabitatWoods, thickets and hedges, mainly on calcareous soils[ 9 Title Edible and Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Launert. E. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2 Description Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information. ].