Nightshade and Grape Families

The nightshade family is widespread in temperate and tropical climates; most are annual and perennial herbs, with some subshrubs and shrubs. They have a taproot and simple, entire or lobed leaves. Flowers are slightly irregular or regular, bisexual, single or in cyme-type inflorescences. Flower formula: K(5) C(5) A5 G1: the calyx is of 5 fused sepals, the corolla of 5 fused petals, 5 stamens are attached to the corolla tube, one pistil; the fruit is a berry or a capsule. The swollen underground shoot of the potato is a tuber: it is a stem, not a root. Potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), eggplant (Solanum melongena) and pepper (Capsicum) are grown as vegetables. Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) is an annual weed 25–50 cm tall with whitish flowers and round berries that ripen black; do not eat the berries, since they contain poisons such as solanine (the textbook mentions vitamin C, but it should not be used as folk medicine without an expert). Henbane (Hyoscyamus) and thorn apple (Datura) are very poisonous, though also medicinal; the nicotine in tobacco leaves (Nicotiana) harms nerves and blood vessels. Only one species of this family is in the Red Book of Uzbekistan.