VMS -- Botany (f51r) Henbane

["Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here is a plant that was well know to Dioscorides and other ancient
botanists, now known as Hyoscyamus niger or Henbane. It is a rather
difficult plant to identify, especially with appendages on the stem that
look more like bugs than leaves. And what of the cluster of what look
like urns at the top of the plant? Are they flowers or seed pods or a
combination of both? The roots give an impression of crossed legs,
similar to what is seen in illustrations with figures drawn into
mankrake roots. This drawing, therefore, appears to have been influenced
by human imagination; however, with a little imagination of our own and
an understanding of the changes that occur in this plant's life cycle.
The basic parts look correct for Henbane; however, the pictures
referenced below show flowers with petals that do not occur in the
drawing, so how is this discrepancy explained. In a number of the photos
and illustrations you will see flowers that have both blossomed as well
as some that have not yet blossomed. But even the unblossomed flowers do
not look quite right in comparison. While I haven't actually seen photos
or illustrations showing these distinctive features as shown in the VMS,
I suspect that what we may be looking at are seed pods after the flowers
have already blossomed and the petals are no longer present. This, of
course, requires further investigation. There are little rosettes
present at the top of the seed pods that look somewhat like small
flowers. Here is where it would be nice to see how Henbane was drawn in
an ancient herbal for comparison. The species, niger, may also not be
correct, and indeed there is certainly a possibility that the whole
plant is being mislabeled. I am uncomfortable making educated guesses
here, but I seem to have pretty much exhausted my current resources.
Next I would need to have expert feedback or be able to see samples of
illustrations from ancient herbals.

Caution: this plant is considered highly poisonous and may be fatal if
injested.

Dioscorides:
http://www.uio.no/~klaush/dioskori.htm

Photo: (notice shape of leaves; flowers in bloom in photos but not in
VMS)
http://www.iranflora.com/mdplant/hyoscyamus.htm
http://www.floracyberia.net/images_plants/Spermatophyta/Angiospermae/Dicotyledoneae/Solanaceae/Hyoscyamus_niger.html

http://www.siena.edu/boswell/Drug%20Projects/Margaret/Hyoscyamus.htm

Description:
http://hyoscyamus.yage.net/culpepper.htm
http://hyoscyamus.yage.net/gerard.htm
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/henban23.html
http://hyoscyamus.yage.net/grieve.htm
http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/HYOSCYAM2.html
http://www.chaine-des-puys.net/flore/fic/fiches/f139.htm
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Hyoscni.htm
http://www.fito.nnov.ru/special/alkaloids/hyoscyamus_niger.shtml
http://www.gardenbed.com/h/1882.cfm
http://www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com/405676.htm
http://hyoscyamus.yage.net/general.htm
http://www.canalvip.com.br/neumart/pm/hyoscyam.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974/1_1hen.htm
http://indiangyan.com/books/homeopathybooks/homeopathic_matria/hyocymus_niger.shtml

http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/h/hyos.htm
http://www.fleurs-des-champs.com/fic/fiches/f139.htm
http://www.satan666.demon.co.uk/index4hen.htm
http://www.nature1.org/h/henban23.html

Illustration:
http://www.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/lindman/110.jpg
http://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/biologie/b_online/thome/band4/tafel_031_small.jpg

http://pharm1.pharmazie.uni-greifswald.de/allgemei/koehler/koeh-lat.htm
http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~wsadee/various.html
http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/library/kohler/1763_011.jpg
http://nepenthes.lycaeum.org/Plants/Hyoscyamus/niger.html
http://www.odont.au.dk/LibHerb2/Pn0300fd.htm
http://www.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/lindman/110.jpg

Regards,
Dana Scott