Atropa
Atropa is a genus of flowering plants, in the nightshade family. They are herbaceous perennials, with large leaves, and shiny berries. These berries are particularly dangerous to children, because they look like cherries, but they are highly poisonous.  Atropa species prefer temperate climates and alkaline soils. They often grow in light shade in woodlands near limestone hills and mountains. Their seeds can remain viable in the soil for long periods, germinating when the soil of sites in which plants once grew (but from which plants have long been absent) is disturbed by human activity or by natural causes, e.g. the windthrow of trees. The best-known member of the genus Atropa is deadly nightshade (A. belladonna) - the poisonous plant par excellence in the minds of many. Atropa species contain chemicals that are used in medicine, such as atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. These are all tropane alkaloids that have anticholinergic, deliriant, antispasmodic and mydriatic properties. The genus is named for Άτροπος (Atropos) - lit. 'she who may not be turned (aside)' - one of the Three Fates and cutter of the thread of life / bringer of death. They are named after her because of the extreme toxicity of A. belladonna and its fellow species.