Solanaceae
👉Families are
characterised on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of
plant species. Among plants for example, three different genera Solanum,
Petunia and Datura are placed in the family Solanaceae.
👉Plant families
like Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae are included in the order
Polymoniales mainly based on the floral characters.
👉Solanaceae
It is a large family, commonly called as the ‘potato family’. It is widely
distributed in tropics, subtropics and even temperate zones (Figure 5.22).
Vegetative Characters:
Plants mostly herbs, shrubs and rarely 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 obligately placed, syncarpous; ovary superior,
bilocular, placenta swollen with many ovules, axile
Fruits: berry or capsule
Seeds: many, endospermous
Floral Formula: 
Economic Importance
Many plants belonging to this family are source of food (tomato, brinjal,
potato), spice (chilli); medicine (belladonna, ashwagandha); fumigatory
(tobacco); ornamentals (petunia).
👉Take one flower each of the families Fabaceae and Solanaceae and write its
semi-technical description. Also draw their floral diagram after studying them.
👉In some cereals such as rice and
wheat, pollen grains lose viability within 30 minutes of their release, and
in some members of Rosaceae, Leguminoseae and Solanaceae, they
maintain viability for months.
