[ noun ] poisonous fetid Old World herb having sticky hairy leaves and yellow-brown flowers; yields hyoscyamine and scopolamine <noun.plant>
Henbane \Hen"bane`\, n. [Hen + bane.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus {Hyoscyamus} ({Hyoscyamus niger}). All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the leaves are used for the same purposes as belladonna. It is poisonous to domestic fowls; whence the name. Called also, {stinking nightshade}, from the fetid odor of the plant. See {Hyoscyamus}.