Solanaceae

Solanaceae, the nightshade family, is a cosmopolitan group of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It comprises about 90 genera and 2,700 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs and small trees. The family has its greatest species diversity in the Americas, especially western South America, and includes many crops and ornamentals that are widely cultivated around the world.

Common characteristics include leaves that are alternate and typically simple, often with glandular or pubescent structures. Flowers are usually bisexual and actinomorphic, with five fused petals forming a tubular or bell-shaped corolla, five united sepals, and usually five stamens that are connivent around a two-loculed ovary. The ovary position can be either superior or inferior depending on the genus, and the fruit is typically a berry or a capsule containing numerous seeds.

Chemistry and ecology are notable in Solanaceae. Many species produce alkaloids with ecological roles and pharmacological uses. Tropane alkaloids such as atropine and scopolamine occur in Atropa and Datura, nicotine is produced by Nicotiana, and capsaicinoids are characteristic of Capsicum. Other alkaloids, including solanine, are found in Solanum species. Pollination is usually by insects, though cultivated forms have been selectively bred for fruit and flower traits.

Economic and cultural significance is high. Important crops include potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), eggplant (Solanum melongena), and various peppers (Capsicum spp.). Nicotiana tabacum provides tobacco, while many ornamental species such as Petunia and Physalis are popular in gardens. The family remains a focus of taxonomic and phylogenetic research due to its diversity and chemically rich lineages.