Family: Solenacae Kingdom: Plantae

1. SOLANACEAE
BY: Shehnaz Baig

2. Introduction:
◦ Solanaceae, the nightshade, or potato, family of flowering plants (order Solanales), with
85 genera and nearly 2,200 species, many of considerable economic importance as food
and drug plants. Among the most important of those are potato (Solanum
tuberosum); eggplant (S. melongena); tomato (S. lycopersicum); peppers (various Capsicu
m species); tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum and N. rustica); belladonna (Atropa belladonna);
the poisonous jimsonweed (Datura stramonium)
and nightshades (S. nigrum, S. dulcamara, and others); and many garden ornamentals.

3. Taxonomy
Kingdom : Plantae (plants)
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta (vascular plants)
Superdivision : Spermatophyta (Seed Plants)
Division : Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
Class : Magnoliopsida ( dicotyledons)
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Solanales
Family : Solanaceae ( potato family)

4. Representative Species:
◦ Solanum nigrum :(Black Night Shade-Mako) ◦ Solanum tuberosum : (Potato / Aaloo)

5. DISTINGUISHED
CHARACTERS
OF
Solanum tuberosum

6. Habit:
The potato is a perennial herb,
although in cultivation used as an
annual crop.
Root:
Stem tubers
Stem:
Potato has various more or less erect,
angular branched and rather weak
and juicy stems (30-80 cm).
Leaves:
Alternate, leaves are pinnately
compound with three or four pairs
of ovate leaflets with smaller ones in
between in outline. The leaflets are
opposite or alternate.

7. Inflorescence:
The inflorescence is a many
flowered cymose panicle which
occurs in the leaf axil.
Flower:
The flower is complete
actinomorphic
Calyx:
Sepals 5, gamosepalous,
tubular or campanulate, valvate
or imbricate, persistent, green
or coloured, hairy, inferior.

8. Corolla:
Petals 5, gamopetalous, tubular
or infundibuliform, valvate or
imbricate aestivation, scale or
hair-like outgrowth may arise
from the throat of the corolla
tube, coloured, inferior.
Androecium:
Stamens 5,
epipetalous, alternipetalous,
filaments inserted deep in the
corolla tube, anthers dithecous,
usually basifixed
or dorsifixed, introrse, inferior.

9. Gynoecium:
Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovary
superior, bilocular, axil
placentation, placentae swollen,
many ovules in each loculus, ovary
obliquely placed; style simple; stigma
bifid or capitate.
Fruit:
Berry greenish or whitish in color.
Seed:
Endospermic.
Pollination:
Entomophilous.
Floral formula:

10. Distribution of
Solanaceae:
◦ The family is commonly called
‘Potato family’. It is a large family
well distributed in tropics and sub-
tropics, though a few members are
found in temperate zone. The
family includes 2,500
species belonging to 102 genera. In
Pakistan it is represented by
52 species.

11. Cont.
◦ Several members are
cultivated throughout the world for their great
economic importance; among them are
Solanum tuberosum
(Potato), Solanum melongena (Bringal), Lycope
rsicurn esculentum (Tomato) etc.

12. Economic
Importance of
Solanaceae:◦ 1. Food:
◦ Many members viz., Solanum tuberosum (Potato),
Solanum melongena (Brinjal), Lycopersicurn
esculentum (Tomato), Capsicum (H. Mirch) etc. are
used as vegetables. Physalis peruviana (H. Rasbhari)
produces edible berries.
◦ 2. Medicinal:
◦ Atropa belladona contains alkaloid Atropine; this is
used in Belladona plaster. Atropine is used in eye
testing. Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) yields Nicotine.
Hyoscyamus niger, Solanum nigrum, Datura (H.
Dhatura), Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) are
used medicinally.

13. Cont.
◦ 3. Narcotics:
◦ Tobacco is obtained from leaves of Nicotiana
tabacum and variously used in cigars, bidi,
chewing, jarda etc.
◦ 4. Ornamentals:
◦ Petunia,Cestrum, Lycium, Salpiglossis, Schizant
hus are cultivated in gardens for ornamentals.

14. THANK YOU