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Nightshade family🌿
Solanaceae Juss.
ナス科
One of the most economically and agriculturally important families, encompassing tomato, eggplant, pepper, potato, tobacco, and petunia, with approximately 2,700 known species. In Japan, native and naturalized members include Alkekengi (Physalis), Solanum lyratum, Solanum carolinense, and Lycium chinense. Many species contain toxic alkaloids such as solanine, atropine, and nicotine.
Key Characteristics
- ●Corolla sympetalous and 5-lobed, stellate to campanulate
- ●Anthers connivent into a cone, dehiscing by apical pores or longitudinal slits
- ●Leaves simple, alternate, often with a pungent odor
- ●Fruit a berry (tomato type) or a capsule (Nicotiana type)
- ●Many species produce alkaloids
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite
Leaf type
Simple / Compound
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Compound type
Ternate / Pinnate
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Aromatic
Aromatic / Foetid / None
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic / Zygomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Solanales > Solanaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of diverse alkaloids including solanine, capsaicin, nicotine, and atropine
- ・Domestication centered in South America followed by global dispersal
- ・Adaptation to bird-mediated dispersal via fleshy berries and diversification of fruit coloration
Plants in Nightshade family on this site
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