Solanaceae (or nightshades)

Family of Solanales

Food, Plant source foods, Flowering plats (angiospermae), Mesangiosperms, Eudicots, Core eudicots, Superastierds, Asterids, Lamiids, Solanales

Consumption area(s): Earth

Note: For better understanding, please read the article on flowering plants (angiospermae) first. If you come across unfamiliar words, you can click on any highlighted term to open the glossary with definitions of key botanical terms.

Introduction

The Solanaceae family, often referred to as nightshades, includes about 2,700 species, many of which are part of daily human life—whether on the plate, in a garden, or in medicine. Though some species are highly toxic, others are everyday staples like tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers and eggplants.

Originally native to South America, nightshades quickly expanded across the globe after the dinosaurs’ extinction. They’ve adjusted to life in extreme conditions—tundras, rainforests, deserts, even mountains. Solanaceae are chemically rich. Nicotine, extracted from tobacco, has had a long history as a stimulant. In contrast, the heat of chili peppers comes from capsaicin, now common in spicy cuisine worldwide.

Description of solanaceae

Nightshades display remarkable structural flexibility. Depending on the species, they can grow as herbs, shrubs, trees, vines, lianas, or even epiphytes. Their life cycles vary, including annual, biennial, and perennial forms, and their posture may be upright or low-lying. Some develop tubers beneath the soil.

Their leaves are mostly alternate , occasionally showing a transition from alternate to opposite near the inflorescences. The blades may be simple or compound—the latter being pinnatifid or ternate. While many leaves are scentless, a few emit aromatic or unpleasant odors. They usually show reticulated venation, lack a basal meristem, and their stomata are found on only one side of the leaf in most cases.

Most flowers are bisexual, although monoecious, dioecious, or andromonoecious types exist in some genera like Solanum. These flowers, often pollinated by insects, may appear singly or in various types of inflorescences—axillary, cymose, or terminal. Their scent ranges from pleasant (as in Nicotiana), to foul (Anthocercis), to entirely neutral.

In terms of shape, flowers tend to be actinomorphic, but some exhibit slight or even marked zygomorphy. This asymmetry can stem from the perianth, the androecium, or both. The calyx is gamosepalous, meaning its sepals are fused. It typically consists of five lobes, sometimes four or six, all of similar size. These lobes are shorter than the tube itself. The calyx remains persistent after flowering and often becomes accrescent, continuing to grow as the fruit develops.

The corolla generally includes five petals, which are also fused into a tube (gamopetlous corolla). The resulting flower shape varies: it may be rotate—flat and wheel-shaped with a short tube—tubular, with a long, cylindrical tube, campanulated like a bell, or funnel-shaped, gradually widening outward.

Stamens are generally epipetalous, numbering four to six, and positioned opposite the sepals. Anthers can be dorsifixed or basifixed, may touch at their tips or be free, and release pollen through pores or longitudinal slits. The gynoecium typically has two carpels and a superior ovary with two chambers. Positioned at an angle to the flower’s axis, it usually has a single style ending in a single stigma. Each chamber may contain up to 50 ovules and the embryo sac is structurally similar to that of Polygonum or Allium.

Fruits include berries (as in tomatoes or wolfberries) and less often drupes. Seeds are endospermic, often oily, and lack obvious trichomes. Their size generally ranges between 2 and 4 mm, and they’re usually flat and round. The embryo may be straight or curved, with two cotyledons.

Classification of solanaceae

This family is divided into genera. Among them, the following include edible species:

• Alkekengi (alkekengi)
• Capsicum (bell peppers, chili peppers)
• Lycium (goji berries)
• Jaltomata (musho)
• Nicotiana (tobacco)
• Physalis (cape gooseberries)
• Solanum (eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae