Solanaceae Adans., Fam. Pl. (Adanson) 2: 215. 1763
Herbs, shrubs or small trees, rarely climbers, often poisonous, sometimes with prickles. Leaves alternate, simple, entire or variously lobed, sometimes pinnate compound, stipules absent. Inflorescence cymose, in panicles, subumbellate or solitary flowers. The flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic, hypogunous. Calyx with 5 united sepals, persistent, sometimes enlarged in fruit. Corolla with 5 united petals, rotate, tubular, funnel-shaped or rarely bilabiate. Stamens 5, all equal or 4 in unequal pairs and fifth rudimentary, epipetalous, inserted lower or higher on the corolla tube, filaments free, anthers bithecous, introrse, dehiscing by apical pores or longitudinal slits. Carpels 2, rarely 3-5, united, ovary superior, bilocular, sometimes divided by false septa, placenta swollen, septum oblique; style 1, ovary seated on nectary. Fruit a capsule or berry; seeds few to many, embryo straight, endosperm present.
Cosmopoliton family with more than 98 genera and 2715 species. Nearly 23 genera and..........species in India, wild or cultivated
Key to the genera in India
1a |
Perfect stamens less than 5, or if 5 not all equal |
(2) |
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1b. |
Perfect stamens 5, all equal |
(5) |
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2a |
Perfect stamens 2; flowers zygomorphic, nearly 2-lipped, corolla lobes deeply cleft. |
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1. Schizanthus |
2b |
Perfect stamens more than 2, didynamous |
(3) |
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3a |
Stamens 4; fruit a berry or capsule; plants woody |
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2. Brunfelsia |
3b |
Stamens 5; 4 in two pairs, fifth very small or rudimentary; fruit a capsule; plants herbaceous |
(4) |
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4a. |
Corolla longer than 3 cm, usually funnel-shaped; both anther lobes developed in all the four stamens. |
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3. Petunia |
4b |
Corolla shorter than 3 cm, salver-shaped; shorter pair of stamens with only one anther lobe developed. |
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4. Browallia |
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5a |
Fruit fleshy when mature, not splitting to dehisce |
(6) |
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5b |
Fruit a dry capsule, splitting to dehisce |
(18) |
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6a |
Anthers forming a cone around the style, opening by terminal pores or lengthwise. |
(7) |
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6b. |
Anthers not forming a cone, distinct, dehiscing longitudinally |
(9) |
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7a |
Anthers with broad filament and connective clearly separating anther lobes; dehiscence by terminal pores or lengthwise. |
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5. Cyphomandra |
7b |
Anther lobes close together, not separated by broad connective. |
(8) |
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8a |
Calyx with distinct lobes above tube, 5-nerved; leaves entire or divided; plants unarmed or armed, herbaceous or woody |
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6. Solanum |
8b. |
Calyx truncate with 5-10 teeth below the rim, 10-ribbed; leaves entire; plants unarmed, woody |
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7. Lycianthus |
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9a. |
Corolla tube in flower at least 4 times longer than lobes; seeds usually less than 12 in fruit; plants woody, unarmed. |
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8. Cestrum |
9b |
Corolla tube in flower not more than 3 times longer than lobes; seeds usually more than 12 in fruit. |
(10) |
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10a |
Plants woody; flowers tubular with narrow limb |
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9. Iochroma |
10b |
Plants herbaceous; flowers rotate or funnel-shaped |
(11) |
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11a |
Calyx enlarged at least as long as fruit; plants herbaceous |
(12) |
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11b |
Calyx scarcely enlarged in fruit, much shorter than fruit |
(15) |
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12a |
Calyx almost as long as fruit, spreading; flowers in clusters |
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10. Atropa |
12b |
Calyx longer than fruit, bladder-like |
(13) |
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13a |
Flowers several together; corolla 1 cm across |
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11. Withania |
13b |
Flowers solitary. |
(14) |
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14a |
Flowers less than 1.5 cm across; ovary 2-celled; fruiting calyx ovoid, 5-toothed. |
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12. Physalis |
14b |
Flowers more than 2 cm across; ovary 3-5-celled; fruiting calyx cordate, winged. 5-parted. |
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13. Nicandra |
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15a |
Plants herbaceous; corolla campanulate or rotate. |
(16) |
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15b |
Plants woody; corolla funnel-shaped or campanulate. |
(17) |
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16a |
Leaves all basal; root swollen; fruit globose |
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14. Mandragora |
16b |
Leaves on stem and branches; root not swollen; fruit usually elongated. |
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15. Capsicum |
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17a |
Plant spiny at nodes; flowers 1-4 in each cluster; corolla funnel-shaped, lilac-purple; berry globose, mostly red . |
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16. Lycium |
17b |
Plant not spiny at nodes; flowers several in dense axillary clusters; corolla campanulate, white; berry orange. |
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17. Ancistus |
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18a |
Capsule circumscissile (opening through a lid). |
(19) |
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18b |
Capsule opening lengthwise or bursting irregularly. |
(21) |
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19a |
Flowers solitary, distant. |
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18. Scopolia |
19b |
Flowers several in a distinct inflorescence |
(20) |
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20a |
Upper flowers forming a raceme or spike. |
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19. Hyoscyamus |
20b |
Upper flowers forming a corymb. |
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20. Physochlaina |
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21a |
Fruiting calyx reflexed, much shorter than capsule. |
(22) |
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21b. |
Fruiting calyx not reflexed, nearly covering the fruit. |
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21. Nicotiana |
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22a |
Fruit prickly; corolla erect, less than 15 cm long, calyx circumscissile, the upper part falling off; plants herbaceous. |
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22. Datura |
22b |
Fruit not prickly; corolla nodding, longer than 15 cm; calyx not circumscissile, upper part not falling off; plants woody |
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23. Brugmansia |
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We are going to have another episode on family Solanaceae from February 11-24, 2015, last one in April 2011. Hope we will be be able to add more taxa to our database and redefine some earlier ones. Please keep your photographs ready for upload during the Fortnight. I request some expert to volunteer for coordination.
Thanks, ... I don't think anyone better than you on Solanaceae. So request you to pl. coordinate.
Here are the genera already discussed in efi. ...................
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