It is a large family, commonly called as the ‘potato family’. It is widely distributed in tropics, subtropics and even temperate zones.
# Vegetative Characters - Plants mostly, herbs, shrubs and small trees
Stem : herbaceous rarely woody, aerial; erect, cylindrical, branched, solid or hollow, hairy or glabrous, underground stem in potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Leaves : alternate, simple, rarely pinnately compound, exstipulate; venation reticulate
# Floral Characters - Inflorescence : Solitary, axillary or cymose as in Solanum
Flower : bisexual, actinomorphic
Calyx : sepals five, united, persistent, valvate aestivation
Corolla : petals five, united; valvate aestivation
Androecium : stamens five, epipetalous
Gynoecium : bicarpellary, syncarpous; ovary superior, bilocular, placenta swollen with many ovules
Fruits : berry or capsule
Seeds : many, endospermous
Economic Importance
Many plants belonging to this family are source of food (tomato, brinjal, potato), spice (chilli); medicine (belladonna, ashwagandha); fumigatory (tobacco); ornamentals (petunia).
It is a large family, commonly called as the ‘potato family’. It is widely distributed in tropics, subtropics and even temperate zones.
# Vegetative Characters - Plants mostly, herbs, shrubs and small trees
Stem : herbaceous rarely woody, aerial; erect, cylindrical, branched, solid or hollow, hairy or glabrous, underground stem in potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Leaves : alternate, simple, rarely pinnately compound, exstipulate; venation reticulate
# Floral Characters - Inflorescence : Solitary, axillary or cymose as in Solanum
Flower : bisexual, actinomorphic
Calyx : sepals five, united, persistent, valvate aestivation
Corolla : petals five, united; valvate aestivation
Androecium : stamens five, epipetalous
Gynoecium : bicarpellary, syncarpous; ovary superior, bilocular, placenta swollen with many ovules
Fruits : berry or capsule
Seeds : many, endospermous
Economic Importance
Many plants belonging to this family are source of food (tomato, brinjal, potato), spice (chilli); medicine (belladonna, ashwagandha); fumigatory (tobacco); ornamentals (petunia).