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| Family Solanaceae |
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| Division: Angiospermae |
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| Class: Dicotyledonae |
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| Sub Class: Gamopetalae |
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| Series: Bicarpellatae |
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| Order: Tubiflorae |
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| Family: Solanaceae |
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| Solanaceae is commonly called as 'Brinjal family'. It includes about 90 genera and 2000 species. Members have a cosmopolitan distribution. There are around 60 species found in India. |
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 Habit: Mostly annual herbs (Solanum nigrum), undershrubs (Solanum melongena). Some are shrubs (Solanum torvum) rarely trees (Solanum grandiflorum) and climbers (Solanum seaforthianum). |
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| fig. 27.33 Habit and L.S. of flower of Solanum nigrum |
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| fig. 27.34 Solanum nigrum |
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 Root: Taproot, branched. |
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 Stem: Herbaceous or woody, branched, often with prickles. |
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 Leaves: Simple, alternate, sometimes pinnately divided into unequal lobes, exstipulate. |
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 Inflorescence: Cymose. Often solitary cyme. |
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 Flower: Ebracteate, actinomorphic, bisexual, pedicellate, heterochlamydeous, hypogynous. |
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 Calyx: Sepals 5, gamosepalous, persistent (in the fruit condition also) valvate aestivation. |
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 Corolla: Petals 5, gamopetalous, rotate or companulate or bilabiate (Schizanthus) or infundibuliform (Datura). Twisted or valvate aestivation. |
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| fig. 27.35 Datura |
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 Androecium: Stamens 5, epipetalous. |
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 Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, bilocular or tetralocular due to pseudoseptum. Many ovules on axile placentation. Ovary superior, Obliquely placed. |
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 Fruit: Berry or capsule. |
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 Seed: Endospermic. |
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| fig. 27.36 Floral parts, floral diagram and floral formula |
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| Edible |
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| 1. Solanum tuberosum potato |
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| 2. Solanum melongena brinjal |
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| 3. Lycopersicum esculentum tomato |
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| 4. Capsicum annum red chilli |
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| 5. Physalis peruviana Raspberry. |
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| Medicinal |
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| 1. Atropa belladona used for making belladona plasters. Atropine is a medicinal extract. |
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| 2. Hyoscyamus niger henbane used as sedative |
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| 3. Withania somnifera Ashwagandha used as an aphrodisiac. |
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| 4. Datura stromanium used as sedative and intoxicant. |
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| Ornamental |
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| 1. Cestum nocturnum night queen or night jasmine |
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| 2. Petunia |
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| 3. Browalia |
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| Others |
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| 1. Nicotiana tobaccum cured leaves used as tobacco, contains nicotine. |
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| fig. 27.37 Examples of Family Solanaceae |
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