Solanum Felinum

''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae, comprising around 1,500 species. It also contains the so-called horse nettles (unrelated to the genus of true nettles, ''Urtica''), as well as numerous plants cultivated for their ornamental flowers and fruit.

''Solanum'' species show a wide range of growth habits, such as annuals and perennials, vines, subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees. Many formerly independent genera like ''Lycopersicon'' (the tomatoes) and ''Cyphomandra'' are now included in ''Solanum'' as subgenera or sections. Thus, the genus today contains roughly 1,500–2,000 species.

Name

The generic name was first used by Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79) for a plant also known as , most likely ''S. nigrum''. Its derivation is uncertain, possibly stemming from the Latin word , meaning "sun", referring to its status as a plant of the sun.

Species having the common name "nightshade"

The species most commonly called nightshade in North America and Britain is ''Solanum dulcamara'', also called bittersweet or woody nightshade (so-called because it is a (scandent) shrub). Its foliage and egg-shaped red berries are poisonous, the active principle being solanine, which can cause convulsions and death if taken in large doses. Black nightshades (many species in the ''Solanum nigrum'' complex, ''Solanum'' sect. ''Solanum'') have varying levels of toxins and are considered too toxic to eat by many people in North America and Europe, but young stems and leaves or fully ripened fruit of various species are cooked and eaten by native people in North America, Africa, and Asia. Deadly nightshade (''Atropa belladonna'') belongs, like ''Solanum'', to subfamily Solanoideae of the nightshade family, but, unlike that genus, is a member of tribe Hyoscyameae (''Solanum'' belongs to tribe Solaneae). The chemistry of ''Atropa'' species is very different from that of Solanum species and features the very toxic tropane alkaloids, the best-known of which is atropine.

Taxonomy

The genus was established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Its subdivision has always been problematic, but slowly some sort of consensus is being achieved.

The following list is a provisional lineup of the genus' traditional subdivisions, together with some notable species. Many of the subgenera and sections might not be valid; they are used here provisionally as the phylogeny of this genus is not fully resolved yet and many species have not been reevaluated.

Cladistic analyses of DNA sequence data suggest that the present subdivisions and rankings are largely invalid. Far more subgenera would seem to warrant recognition, with ''Leptostemonum'' being the only one that can at present be clearly subdivided into sections. Notably, it includes as a major lineage several members of the traditional sections ''Cyphomandropsis'' and the old genus ''Cyphomandra''.

Subgenus ''Bassovia''

Section ''Allophylla''
* '' Solanum granuloso-leprosum''
Section ''Cyphomandropsis''
* '' Solanum glaucophyllum'' Desf. – Waxy-leaved nightshade
Section ''Pachyphylla''
* '' Solanum betaceum'' Cav. – Tamarillo
* ''Solanum exiguum''
* ''Solanum roseum''

Subgenus ''Leptostemonum''

Section ''Acanthophora''
* ''Solanum aculeatissimum'' Jacq. – Indian nightshade
* '' Solanum atropurpureum'' Schrank – Five-minute plant
* '' Solanum capsicoides'' – Cockroach berry, ''polohauaiʻi'' ( Polynesian)
* ''Solanum mammosum'' – Nipplefruit, titty fruit, cow's udder, apple of Sodom
* '' Solanum palinacanthum'' Dunal
* ''Solanum viarum'' Dunal – Tropical soda apple
Section ''Androceras'': 12 spp.
* Series ''Androceras''
* Series ''Violaceiflorum''
* Series ''Pacificum''
Section ''Anisantherum''

Section ''Campanulata''

Section ''Crinitum''

Section ''Croatianum''

Section ''Erythrotrichum''
* ''Solanum robustum'' H.L.Wendl. – Shrubby nightshade
Section ''Graciliflorum''

Section ''Herposolanum''
* '' Solanum wendlandii'' Hook.f. – Giant potatocreeper
Section ''Irenosolanum''
* ''Solanum incompletum'' Dunal – ''Pōpolo kū mai'' (Hawaii)
* '' Solanum nelsonii'' Dunal – Nelson's horsenettle, ''Ākia'' (Hawaii)
* '' Solanum sandwicense'' Hook. & Arn. – Hawaiian horsenettle, ''Pōpoloaiakeakua'' (Oahu, Kauai)
Section ''Ischyracanthum''

Section ''Lasiocarpa''
* ''Solanum lasiocarpum'' Dunal
* ''Solanum pseudolulo'' – ''lulo de perro'' (Colombia)
* ''Solanum quitoense'' – ''lulo'' (Colombia), ''naranjilla'' (Ecuador)
* '' Solanum sessiliflorum'' – Cocona
Section ''Melongena''
* ''Solanum aculeastrum'' – Soda apple, sodaapple nightshade, goat apple, poison apple, "bitter-apple"
* ''Solanum campechiense'' – Redberry nightshade
* ''Solanum carolinense'' – Carolina horsenettle, radical weed, sand brier, devil's tomato, " bull nettle", "tread-softly", "apple of Sodom", "wild tomato" (southeastern United States)
* '' Solanum cataphractum'' (northern Western Australia, including Coronation Island)
* ''Solanum citrullifolium'' A.Braun – Watermelon nightshade (southern United States)
* '' Solanum dimidiatum'' Raf. – Torrey's nightshade
* ''Solanum elaeagnifolium'' – Silver-leaved nightshade, prairie berry, silverleaf nettle, white horsenettle, silver nightshade, "bull-nettle", "trompillo" (Spanish); Silver-leaf bitter-apple, ''satansbos'' (South Africa)
* ''Solanum heterodoxum'' Dunal – Melon-leaved nightshade
* ''Solanum incanum'' L.
* ''Solanum linnaeanum'' – Devil's apple, apple of Sodom
* ''Solanum macrocarpon'' L.
* '' Solanum marginatum'' L.f. – White-margined nightshade
* ''Solanum melongena'' – Eggplant, aubergine (including ''S. ovigerum'')
* ''Solanum rostratum'' Dunal – Buffalo bur, Texas thistle
* ''Solanum sisymbriifolium'' Lam. – Sticky nightshade, fire-and-ice
* '' Solanum virginianum'' L.
Section ''Micracantha''
* '' Solanum jamaicense'' Mill. – Jamaican nightshade
* ''Solanum lanceifolium'' Jacq. – Lance-leaved nightshade
* '' Solanum tampicense'' Dunal – Wetland nightshade
Section ''Monodolichopus''

Section ''Nycterium''

Section ''Oliganthes''
* ''Solanum aethiopicum'' – Ethiopian eggplant, nakati, mock tomato, Ethiopian nightshade; including ''S. gilo'' (scarlet eggplant, Gilo or ''jiló'')
* ''Solanum centrale'' – Australian desert raisin, bush raisin, bush sultana, " bush tomato", ''akatjurra'' (Alyawarre), ''kampurarpa'' (Pitjantjatjara), ''merne akatyerre'' (Arrernte), ''kutjera''
* ''Solanum cleistogamum'' – "bush tomato", ''merne mwanyerne'' (Arrernte)
* '' Solanum ellipticum'' – Potato bush, "bush tomato"
* '' Solanum pyracanthos'' Lam. – Porcupine tomato, Devil's Thorn
* '' Solanum quadriloculatum'' F.Muell. – "bush tomato", "wild tomato" (Australia)
Section ''Persicariae''
* ''Solanum bahamense'' L. – Bahama nightshade, canker berry, ''berengena de playa''
* '' Solanum ensifolium'' Dunal – Erubia
Section ''Polytrichum''

Section ''Pugiunculifera''

Section ''Somalanum''

Section ''Torva''
* '' Solanum asteropilodes''
* '' Solanum chrysotrichum'' Schltdl. – Giant devil's-fig
* ''Solanum lanceolatum'' – Orangeberry nightshade
* '' Solanum paniculatum'' – Jurubeba
* ''Solanum torvum'' – Turkey berry, devil's fig, prickly nightshade, shoo-shoo bush, wild eggplant, pea eggplant

Subgenus ''Lyciosolanum''

* '' Solanum guineense'' L.

Subgenus ''Solanum sensu stricto''

Section ''Afrosolanum''

Section ''Anarrhichomenum''
* '' Solanum baretiae''
Section ''Archaesolanum''
* ''Solanum aviculare'' – Poroporo (New Zealand), kangaroo apple (Australia)
Section ''Basarthrum''
* '' Solanum catilliflorum''
* ''Solanum muricatum'' – Pepino dulce, pepino melon, melon pear, "pepino", "tree melon"
* '' Solanum perlongistylum''
* '' Solanum tergosericeum''
Section ''Benderianum''

Section ''Brevantherum''
* '' Solanum bullatum''
* ''Solanum erianthum'' D.Don – Potato tree, "mullein nightshade"
* ''Solanum mauritianum'' – Woolly nightshade, ear-leaved nightshade, flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, kerosene plant, "wild tobacco" (Australia)
* '' Solanum evolvuloides''
Section ''Dulcamara''
* ''Solanum crispum'' – Chilean potato vine, Chilean nightshade, Chilean potato tree
* ''Solanum dulcamara'' – Bittersweet
* '' Solanum imbaburense''
* ''Solanum laxum'' Spreng. – Jasmine nightshade
* ''Solanum leiophyllum''
* ''Solanum seaforthianum'' Andrews – Brazilian nightshade
* ''Solanum triquetrum'' Cav. – Texas nightshade
* ''Solanum wallacei'' – Wallace's nightshade, Catalina nightshade, Clokey's nightshade, "wild tomato" (including ''S. clokeyi'')
* ''Solanum xanti'' – Purple nightshade, San Diego nightshade
Section ''Herpystichum''

Section ''Holophylla''
* ''Solanum diphyllum'' L. – Twin-leaved nightshade
* ''Solanum pseudocapsicum'' – Jerusalem cherry, Madeira winter cherry, "winter cherry" (including ''S. capsicastrum'')
* ''Solanum pseudoquina'' (including ''S. inaequale'' Vell.)
Section ''Juglandifolia''
* ''Solanum juglandifolium''
* ''Solanum ochranthum''
Section ''Lemurisolanum''

Section ''Lycopersicoides''
* ''Solanum lycopersicoides'' Dunal – Peruvian wolfpeach
* ''Solanum sitiens''
Section ''Lycopersicon''
* ''Solanum arcanum'' Peralta – "wild tomato"
* ''Solanum chilense''
* ''Solanum corneliomulleri''
* ''Solanum huaylasense'' Peralta
* ''Solanum peruvianum'' L. – Peruvian nightshade, "wild tomato"
* ''Solanum cheesmaniae'' (L.Riley) Fosberg
* ''Solanum chmielewskii''
* ''Solanum galapagense'' S.C.Darwin & Peralta
* ''Solanum habrochaites''
* ''Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum'' – Tomato
* ''Solanum neorickii''
* ''Solanum pennellii''
* ''Solanum pimpinellifolium'' – Currant tomato

Section ''Macronesiotes''

Section ''Normania''
* †''Solanum nava'' (?)
Section ''Petota''
* ''Solanum albornozii''
* ''Solanum bulbocastanum'' – Ornamental nightshade
* ''Solanum bukasovii'' Juz. ex Rybin
* ''Solanum burtonii''
* ''Solanum cardiophyllum'' – Heart-leaved nightshade
* ''Solanum chilliasense''
* ''Solanum commersonii'' Dunal – Commerson's nightshade
* ''Solanum demissum'' Lindl. – Dwarf wild potato
* ''Solanum jamesii'' – Wild potato
* ''Solanum minutifoliolum''
* ''Solanum paucijugum''
* ''Solanum phureja'' Juz. & Bukasov
* ''Solanum pinnatisectum'' Dunal – Tansy-leaved nightshade
* ''Solanum regularifolium''
* ''Solanum stoloniferum'' Schltdl. – Tigna potato, Fendler's horsenettle
* ''Solanum stenotomum'' (including ''S. goniocalyx'')
* ''Solanum ternatum'' (including ''S. ternifolium'')
* ''Potato, Solanum tuberosum'' – Potato
Section ''Pteroidea''

Section ''Quadrangulare''

Section ''Regmandra''

Section ''Solanum''
* ''Solanum adscendens'' Sendtner – Sonoita nightshade (Americas)
* ''Solanum americanum'' Philip Miller, Mill. – American nightshade, American black nightshade, West Indian nightshade, glossy nightshade (Americas, Hawaii)
* ''Solanum chenopodioides'' Lam. – Goosefoot nightshade, slender nightshade (including ''S. gracilius'')
* ''Solanum douglasii'' Dunal – Green-spotted nightshade
* ''Solanum alatum'' – Eastern black nightshade
* ''Solanum interius'' Rydb.
* Solanum melongena L.
* ''Solanum nigrescens'' M.Martens & Galeotti – Divine nightshade
* ''Solanum nigrum'' L. – European black nightshade, "black nightshade"
* ''S. nigrum guineense'' – "Garden Huckleberry"
* ''Solanum pseudogracile'' Heiser – Glowing nightshade
* ''Solanum retroflexum'' – Wonderberry, sunberry
* ''Solanum sarrachoides'' – Hairy nightshade
* ''Solanum scabrum'' Mill. – Garden huckleberry
* ''Solanum triflorum'' Nutt. – Cut-leaved nightshade
* ''Solanum villosum'' Mill. – Yellow nightshade

Other notable species

* ''Solanum abutiloides'' – Dwarf tamarillo
* ''Solanum amygdalifolium'' Steud.
* ''Solanum bellum''
* ''Solanum cajanumense''
* ''Solanum chimborazense''
* ''Solanum chrysasteroides''
* ''Solanum cinnamomeum''
* ''Solanum conocarpum'' Rich. ex Dunal – Marron bacoba
* ''Solanum cowiei'' Martine
* ''Solanum cremastanthemum''
* ''Solanum crinitum''
* ''Solanum davisense'' Whalen – Davis' horsenettle
* ''Solanum densepilosulum''
* ''Solanum donianum'' Walp. – Mullein nightshade
* ''Solanum dolichorhachis''
* ''Solanum fallax''
* ''Solanum ferox'' L. – Hairy-fruited eggplant, Thai hairy-fruited eggplant
* ''Solanum fortunense''
* ''Solanum furcatum'' – Forked nightshade
* ''Solanum glabratum'' Dunal
* ''Solanum haleakalaense'' H.St.John
* ''Solanum hindsianum'' Benth. – Hinds' nightshade
* ''Solanum hypermegethes''
* ''Solanum hypocalycosarcum''
* ''Solanum interandinum''
* ''Solanum latiflorum''
* ''Solanum leucodendron''
* ''Solanum lumholtzianum'' Bartlett – Sonoran nightshade
* ''Solanum luteoalbum'' (including ''S. semicoalitum'')
* ''Solanum lycocarpum'' – Wolf apple, ''fruta-de-lobo, lobeira'' (Brazil)
* ''Solanum melissarum'' Bohs
* ''Solanum nudum'' Dunal – Forest nightshade
* ''Solanum ovum-fringillae''
* ''Solanum paralum''
* ''Solanum parishii'' A.Heller – Parish's nightshade
* ''Solanum physalifolium'' Rusby
* ''Solanum pinetorum''
* ''Solanum polygamum'' Vahl – Cakalaka berry
* ''Solanum pyrifolium'' Lam.
* ''Solanum pubescens'' Willd.
* ''Solanum riedlei'' Dunal – Riedle's nightshade
* ''Solanum rudepannum'' Dunal
* ''Solanum rugosum'' Dunal – ''tabacon aspero''
* ''Solanum sibundoyense''
* ''Solanum sodiroi'' (including ''S. carchiense'')
* ''Solanum sycocarpum''
* ''Solanum tenuipes'' Bartlett – Fancy nightshade
* ''Solanum tobagense''
* ''Solanum trilobatum'' L.
* ''Solanum umbelliferum'' – Bluewitch nightshade
* ''Solanum violaceum'' Ortega
* ''Solanum viride'' Spreng. – Green Nightshade
* ''Solanum woodburyi'' Howard – Woodbury's nightshade

Formerly placed here

Some plants of other genera were formerly placed in ''Solanum'':
* ''Chamaesaracha coronopus'' (as ''S. coronopus'')
* ''Cordia alliodora'' (as ''S. mucronatum'')
* ''Lycianthes biflora'' (as ''S. multifidum'' Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don)
* ''Lycianthes denticulata'' (as ''S. gouakai'' var. ''angustifolium'' and var. ''latifolium'')
* ''Lycianthes lycioides'' (as ''S. lycioides'' var. ''angustifolium'')
* ''Lycianthes mociniana'' (as ''S. uniflorum'' Dunal in Poir. and ''S. uniflorum'' Sessé & Moc.)
* ''Lycianthes rantonnetii'' (as ''S. rantonnetii'', ''S. urbanum'' var. ''ovatifolium'' and var. ''typicum'')
* Undetermined species of ''Lycianthes'' have been referred to under names such as ''Solanum chrysophyllum, S. chrysophyllum'', ''S. ciliatum'' Blume ex Miq., ''S. corniculatum'' Hiern, ''Solanum lanuginosum, S. lanuginosum'', ''S. retrofractum'' var. ''acuminatum'', ''S. violaceum'' Blume, ''S. violifolium'' f. ''typicum'', ''S. virgatum'' notst ''β albiflorum'', ''S. uniflorum'' Lag. or ''S. uniflorum'' var. ''berterianum''.

Ecology

''Solanum'' species are used as food plants by the Caterpillar, larvae of some Lepidoptera species (Butterfly, butterflies and moths).

Toxicity

Most parts of the plants, especially the green parts and unripe fruit, are poisonous to humans (although not necessarily to other animals), with some species even being deadly.

Uses

Many species in the genus bear some edible parts, such as fruits, leaf, leaves, or tubers. Three crops in particular have been bred and harvested for consumption by humans for centuries, and are now cultivated on a global scale:
* Tomato, ''S. lycopersicum''
** Tomato varieties are sometimes bred from both ''S. lycopersicum'' and wild tomato species such as ''S. pimpinellifolium'', ''S. peruvianum'', ''S. cheesmanii'', ''S. galapagense'', ''S. chilense'', etc. (such varieties include—among others—Bicentennial, Dwarf Italian, Epoch, Golden Sphere, Hawaii, Ida Red, Indigo Rose, Kauai, Lanai, Marion, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, Oahu, Owyhee, Parma, Payette, Red Lode, Super Star, Surecrop, Tuckers Forcing, V 121, Vantage, Vetomold, and Waltham.)
* Potato, ''S. tuberosum'', fourth largest food crop.
** Less important but cultured relatives used in small amounts include ''S. stenotomum, S. phureja, S. goniocalyx, S. ajanhuiri, S. chaucha, S. juzepczukii, S. curtilobum''.
* Eggplant (also known as brinjal or aubergine), ''S. melongena''

Other species are significant food crops regionally, such as Ethiopian eggplant or scarlet eggplant (''Solanum aethiopicum, S. aethiopicum''), naranjilla or lulo (''Solanum quitoense, S. quitoense''), cocona (''Solanum sessiliflorum, S. sessiliflorum''), turkey berry (''Solanum torvum, S. torvum''), pepino or pepino melon (''Solanum muricatum, S. muricatum''), tamarillo (''Tamarillo, S. betaceum''), wolf apple (''Solanum lycocarpum, S. lycocarpum''), garden huckleberry (''Solanum scabrum, S. scabrum'') and " bush tomatoes" (several Australian species).

Ornamentals

The species most widely seen in cultivation as ornamental plants are:
* ''Solanum aviculare, S. aviculare'' (kangaroo apple)
* ''Solanum capsicastrum, S. capsicastrum'' (false Jerusalem cherry, winter cherry)
* ''Solanum crispum, S. crispum'' (Chilean potato tree)
* ''Solanum laciniatum, S. laciniatum'' (kangaroo apple)
* ''Solanum laxum, S. laxum'' (potato vine)
* ''Solanum mammosum, S. mammosum'' (Nipplefruit, titty fruit, cow's udder, apple of Sodom)
* ''Solanum pseudocapsicum, S. pseudocapsicum'' (Christmas cherry, winter cherry)
* ''Solanum rantonnetii, S. rantonnetii'' (blue potato bush)
* ''Solanum seaforthianum, S. seaforthianum'' (Italian jasmine, St. Vincent lilac)
* ''Solanum mauritianum, S. mauritianum'' (woolly nightshade, earleaf nightshade)
* ''Solanum wendlandii, S. wendlandii'' (paradise flower, potato vine)

Medicine

Several species are locally used in folk medicine, particularly by native people who have long employed them.

References

External links

*
*

Meet the TomTato: Tomatoes and potatoes grown as one – CBS News
(September 26, 2013)

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Solanum,
Solanaceae genera
Medicinal plants