Gamopetalae, Bicarpellate, Polemoniales
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
Economic Importance :Many plants belonging to this family
- source of food (tomato, brinjal, potato)
- spice (chilli)
- medicine (belladonna, ashwagandha);
- fumigatory (tobacco)
- ornamentals (petunia)
Learn more: 10 examples of Solanaeae plants
