Family Solanaceae
Description: Herbs, shrubs or small trees, [or rarely woody vines]; spines present or absent.
Leaves alternate, sometimes subopposite, simple to pinnate.
Inflorescences terminal, lateral, axillary, extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, cymose, appearing racemose, paniculate or subumbellate, or flowers solitary. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual or rarely unisexual. Calyx tubular to campanulate, usually 5-lobed or sometimes 3–9-lobed. Corolla campanulate, tubular, funnel-shaped, urn-shaped or trumpet-shaped; tube rotate to stellate, usually with 5 (rarely 3–9) lobes; lobes valvate, folded, rolled or imbricate in bud. Stamens usually 5 or 4, rarely 1, 2, 3, or 8, equal or unequal, inserted in corolla tube; anthers 2- or 1-locular, sometimes cohering, dehiscing by longitudinal slits or terminal pores. Ovary superior, 2–5-locular; style simple; stigma capitate; ovules usually numerous, with axile placentation.
Fruit a capsule or berry, usually 2-locular; seeds usually numerous, often flattened.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 90 genera, >2600 species, widespread in tropical & temperate regions, mostly native of Central & South America. Australia: 23 genera, c. 200 species, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Solanaceae, Order: Solanales)
Wikipedia This family contains several important food plants, such as Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.), Capsicum, Chili and peppers (Capsicum species), Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller). Ornamental plants include species Browallia, Brunfelsia, Cestrum, Datura, Lycium, Nicotiana, Nierembergia, Petunia, Physalis, Salpiglossis, Schizanthus, Solanum, Solandra and Streptosolen. Several genera include plants that are poisonous or have medicinal or narcotic properties, e.g. tobacco (Nicotiana species), Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna L.), thornapples (Datura species) and Black Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger L.).
Text by B. J. Conn
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Brugmansia
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Fruit a berry, sometimes firm or slightly dry | 2 |
| Fruit a capsule | 13 |
| 2 | Flowers solitary or in few-flowered clusters at nodes | 3 |
| Flowers in definite racemose, cymose, subumbellate or panicle-like inflorescences
Back to 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Calyx enlarged in fruit, becoming larger than berry and often enclosing it | 4 |
| Calyx not or scarcely enlarged in fruit, always shorter than berry
Back to 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Corolla pale blue to mauve | Nicandra |
| Corolla yellow or yellow-green, often with dark spots
Back to 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Mature berry yellow or yellow-green | Physalis |
| Mature berry bright red
Back to 4 | Withania |
| 6 | Corolla stellate with lobes as long as tube | Capsicum |
| Corolla tube narrow, funnel-shaped or urn-shaped, with lobes much shorter than tube
Back to 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Spinescent shrubs or herbs | Lycium |
| Non-spinescent scrambling or climbing herbs
Back to 6 | Salpichroa |
| 8 | Leaves pinnatisect; corolla yellow and berry red (previously Lycopersicon) | Solanum |
| Leaves entire or lobed; corolla white, blue to dark purple, rarely pink, if yellow, orange-yellow or green yellow then berry white or black, never red
Back to 2 | 9 |
| 9 | Corolla lobes valvate in bud | 10 |
| Corolla lobes rolled or folded
Back to 8 | 11 |
| 10 | Corolla orange-yellow or green-yellow; anthers versatile with connective small; berry white or black | Cestrum |
| Corolla pink; anthers basifixed with connective large and conspicuous; berry dark red (previously Cyphomandra)
Back to 9 | Solanum |
| 11 | Stamens 4; anthers 1-locular; corolla white with purple striations | Duboisia |
| Stamens 5; anthers 2-locular; corolla variously coloured, with striations absent
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 12 | Flowers solitary or more, and when more than one without a peduncle; calyx 5–10 toothed | Lycianthes |
| Flowers in cymes, racemes or panicles, with peduncles; calyx usually 5-lobed
Back to 11 | Solanum |
| 13 | Stamens 4 or 5, all equal or subequal in length | 14 |
| Stamens 5, with 4 equal and 1 much shorter
Back to 1 | 16 |
| 14 | Stamens 4 | Cyphanthera |
| Stamens 5
Back to 13 | 15 |
| 15 | Capsule spiny or tuberculate | Datura |
| Capsule smooth or nearly so
Back to 14 | Hyoscyamus |
| 16 | Corolla tube c. 1 mm wide for most of its length, abruptly dilated near apex into a broad, shallow cup | Nierembergia |
| Corolla tube more than 1 mm wide near base, gradually widening towards apex
Back to 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Calyx segments fused to about halfway; valves of capsule 4 or rarely 2, entire | Nicotiana |
| Calyx segments free almost to base; valves of capsules 2, entire or 2-fid
Back to 17 | 17 |
| 18 | Leaves ovate to elliptic, more than 2 cm long; corolla more than 2 cm long | Petunia |
| Leaves oblong-linear to spathulate, less than 2 cm long; corolla less than 2 cm long
Back to | Calibrachoa |
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