Solanaceous plants: a list of crops and their characteristics

Winter and summer care for nightshade

Caring for a nightshade houseplant in the cold and warm seasons has its own distinctive features. Features of seasonal care spring-summer.

• Young seedlings are watered as the soil dries up.
• During the growth period, feeding is not needed. It is enough to gently loosen the soil along the edges of the flowerpot so as not to injure the roots.
• When nightshade blooms, it needs help to transfer pollen from one flower to another (pollinate).
• Upon reaching the age of 4-5 years, the plant is transplanted into a substrate with an admixture of sod.
• With the onset of summer, the flower is taken out into the open air in a shaded and draft-protected place.
• Water it abundantly, adding fertilizing to the soil at least once every 2 weeks with a mixture of nutrients for tomatoes. Liquid fertilizers such as "Ideal" or "Rainbow" also give a good effect.
• Spray the leaves twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.

Features of seasonal care autumn-winter.

• As the cold weather approaches, the intensity of fertilizing and watering is reduced (watered once every 10 days with soft water without chlorine). The nightshade should be dormant from October to February.
• The pot with salt water is placed in a cool, lighted place with high air humidity.
• Air the plant once a week.
• At the end of February, the cherry will start to wake up. During this period, you need to increase watering and start spraying.

Biological description

Common tobacco belongs to the family Solanaceae (Solanaceae), the genus Tobacco (Nicotiana)... It is an annual (less often perennial) plant with a height of about 2 m. Around 6000 BC. e. culture took shape in the form in which we know it now.

The leaves are large, the flowers are pink, red or white and funnel-shaped. Their distinctive feature is their strong aroma. Corolla 5–6 cm long. The pistil has an upper ovary and a capitate stigma. The fruit is a box 1.5–2 cm in size, which contains a large number of small seeds.

Variety of varieties

There are 75 types of tobacco. Most valuable varieties for growing and processing (below are descriptions and photos):

1. Broadleaf, or Maryland (lat.Nicotiana macrofilla). Features - red flowers, long tubular corolla and wide leaves. Side veins on them are located perpendicular to the main one.
2. Virginia (lat.Nicotiana tabacum). It is distinguished by pink flowers and a tubular corolla with sharp lobes. Leaves are oblong, sessile.
3. Common shag (Nicotiana rustica). The flowers are yellowish, with short tubes. Leaves are ovoid with a rounded tip.
4. Girlish, or gummy (Nicotiana glutinosa). It has pink flowers with small tubes. Leaves are grayish green.
5. Curly (Nicotiana crispa). Height - about 1.8 m, pink flowers, leaves have a characteristic bumpy surface.

Difficulties and reasons for their occurrence

Few fruits - it means that the bush is not sufficiently pollinated. During the flowering period, it is necessary to gently transfer pollen from flower to flower with a soft brush or cotton swab.

Fruits and leaves fall... The reason is usually too high indoor temperature and humidity.

Pest infestation... The reason is insufficient air humidity.

Solyanum, like other nightshades, can be affected whitefly... Greenish larvae settle on the back of the leaves and suck the juice out of them. First, the leaves are stained, then dry and fall off. If you touch a sick plant, a swarm of small white flies flies out of it.

Aphid attacks more often in summer, especially if the pot of nightshade is brought out into the fresh air. Affects stem tops and leaves. In both cases, plants need urgent treatment with insecticides: actellik, decis, phytoverm, intavir, etc.

Here it is so exotic and unlike anyone else - Chinese cherry, it is Jerusalem, Cuban, or simply - nightshade... Belongs to the category of ornamental plants that cannot stand loneliness. To feel a loving heart next to you that cares and helps is the main thing for nightshade.

Give him a little bit of your kindness and attention, and he will delight you all year round with its lush greenery and unusual bright fruits.

And for those who like to know more, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video about caring for a nightshade houseplant

Nightshade (Solanum) is a perennial houseplant from the Solanaceae family. Under natural conditions, it reaches a height of 1 meter or more, in a room the size of a bush does not exceed 30-50 cm. The homeland of nightshade is Brazil, Uruguay and Peru.The main decoration of the plant is round, brightly colored fruits.

On the plant, they keep up to six months. The most popular among florists are dwarf varieties of nightshade. Their neat, compact bushes, densely covered with orange or red berries, look very impressive.

Be sure to pay attention to the beautiful Brugmansia plant.

Signs of the nightshade family

Bromeliad family - tillandsia, pineapple, bromeliad and others

The family belongs to the class of dicotyledons. This means that the embryos of plant seeds have two lateral cotyledons. Monocotyledonous plants, as the name suggests, have one lobe. Representatives of monocots are quite similar in their characteristics. Solanaceae are very different from each other, but a number of common features can be distinguished.

Characteristics of the nightshade listed in scientific presentations:

• leaf shape: smooth, toothed, notched or in the form of lobes;
• below and in the middle of the stem, the leaves are located singly, in the flowering part - in pairs;
• inflorescences are medium-sized curls, often with a scattering of flowers;
• the calyx most often has 5 leaves, less often from 4 to 7;
• the whisk can be in the form of a wheel, saucer, funnel.

Common signs

Nightshade fruit

Fruits in berries (pepper, nightshade, eggplant, potatoes, physalis, etc.) or in capsules (tobacco, petunia, belladonna, henbane, dope). The boxes are opened along the shutters. The seeds are reniform and contain a large amount of protein.

Solanaceous plants inflorescence

Inflorescence types - curl or gyrus. Flower formula: * H (5) L (5) T5P1. Value:

• calyx consists of five fused sepals;
• the corolla consists of five fused petals;
• the number of stamens adherent to the petals is five;
• the pistil is one.

Flower structure

Leaves of the nightshade family

Simple, lobed, sometimes dissected. Arranged alternately on the stem. Stipules are absent. Some representatives are covered with hairs. List of nightshade crops: Herbaceous plants

The Solanaceae family, with more than 2,600 species, consists primarily of herbaceous plants.

• mandrake;
• tobacco;
• eggplant (dark-fruited nightshade);
• potatoes;
• bitter and sweet peppers;
• bittersweet nightshade (wolfberry);
• scopoly;
• false-pepper nightshade;
• ampel calibers;
• jasmine nightshade, etc.

Vegetable plants

Vegetable nightshade plants:

• Potatoes. The tubers of the plant are used for food, which are modified underground shoots. In vegetable gardens, potatoes are traditionally propagated using tubers, but cultivation using seeds is possible. The fruit of a potato is an inedible greenish berry with seeds inside.
• Eggplant. Wild plants are perennial, and cultivated ones are perennial. Botanically speaking, the blue fruit is a berry. Most often, unripe fruits with a lilac-purple color are used for food. After full ripening, the eggplant peel acquires a brown-green color, and the fruit itself becomes tough and tasteless.
• Capsicum (sweet and bitter). The alkaloid capsacin gives the vegetable a pungent taste.
• Tomatoes (tomatoes). As in the previous case, the fruits are berries, not vegetables.

Interesting! In 1893, the US Supreme Court, in the process of resolving a customs dispute, recognized tomatoes as vegetables, since they are not eaten for dessert.

Other edible nightshades that are not vegetables:

• Melon pear. In Russia, it is found in vegetable gardens, but not grown on an industrial scale. The fruits have a sweet taste and contain a large amount of vitamins, micro- and macroelements.
• Physalis. Botanical characteristics are similar to tomatoes. In the CIS, physalis is most often found in confectionery - it is used as a decor. Also, from the fruits that are hidden in the cups, you can make jam or pickles.

Physalis

Nightshade: home care.Briefly

Nightshade at home requires certain care:

Family features

First of all, it should be noted that the nightshade family includes more than 2.5 thousand different plants. Outwardly, they are very different - to notice something in common, you need to be a real expert in the field of botany. Some plants are more likely to be grass, others belong to bushes, and some are generally considered to be trees. However, they all have a number of similar characteristics, which make it possible to attribute them all to one family.

So what are the characteristics of nightshades?

Flowers are collected in inflorescences-curls, and are devoid of bracts. They are bisexual and only rarely are they correct, that is, symmetrical. The leafy calyx usually consists of 5 leaflets, similar to cloves.

The leaves are very different - there are lobed, whole, incised or serrated. But at the same time they are located alternately in the vegetative stem part. The flowering is characterized by a pairwise arrangement - most often they vary greatly in size.

As you can see, you need to have considerable knowledge in the field of botany in order to combine such insignificant characteristics into one species, for example, ordinary potatoes and tobacco, henbane and bell pepper.

Caring for nightshade at home. In detail

Caring for nightshade at home is quite simple. When favorable conditions are created, plants at the age of 5-7 months begin to actively bloom and bear fruit.

Nightshade bloom

The nightshade blooms in the summer. Plants are abundantly covered with small, star-shaped flowers. A little later, berries begin to tie in place of flowers. At first they are green, but as they ripen, the fruits turn bright red or orange.
It takes several months to fully mature. The plant usually reaches its greatest decorativeness by the New Year.

Temperature regime

The nightshade plant at home develops best and blooms at moderate temperatures + 18-22 °. In the summer heat, it can even shed some of the flowers and leaves.

In winter, nightshade needs a temperature of + 15 °. Fruits on the plant in such conditions keep almost until spring.

Spraying

Indoor nightshade needs to be sprayed frequently. To do this, use pre-settled water at room temperature. Spraying is especially important when kept warm in winter. You can also place a small container of water next to the plant to increase the moisture level.

Decorative nightshade plants

Solanaceous vegetables - list of plant names

This group includes indoor and garden flowers, shrubs and even vines. They are characterized by numerous large, bright flowers.

Interesting! The nightshade potatoes and tomatoes were introduced to Europe as ornamental plants.

Many plants belong to the decorative nightshade.

Petunia

A plant widespread in the CIS with a lush flowering that lasts for several months. Has bright petals with spots or small blotches. The core is yellow or white. New buds are formed before October. Shoots hang down, so petunia is often used in vertical gardening.

Scented tobacco

The plant has relatively small but extremely fragrant flowers that open after sunset. Color - white or hot pink.For cigarettes and cigars, dried tobacco leaves are used, which contain a lot of nicotine.

Scented tobacco

Bittersweet nightshade

Ideal for placement near a pond, as it feels comfortable in high humidity. It has oblong pointed leaves. After flowering, it forms bright scarlet round fruits that persist from April to October.

Capsicum

An unusual houseplant known as house pepper. Fruits are red, yellow, white, orange or purple peppercorns. They have a pungent taste as they contain capsaicin.

Capsicum

Calibrachoa

A plant with abundant flowering. Has a look similar to petunia - bells of various colors. In the gardens, you can find purple, pale and bright pink, peach, yellow, red, white flowers and even a multi-colored mix.

Calibrachoa

Growing nightshade from seeds

Nightshade is very easy to propagate by seed. They are extracted from fully ripe, shriveled berries. Sowing starts in January. For this, a light substrate is prepared from a mixture of peat sand and vermiculite. Before sowing, the seeds are etched in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.

In the future, this will protect the seedlings from fungal diseases.

Seeds germinate unevenly. The first shoots appear in 2 weeks, the last in 2 months. At the age of one month, the seedlings dive into separate containers. Young plants bloom in 6-7 months.

Distribution and habitat of culture

The main number of plants of the Solanaceae family is recorded in all climatic zones of Central and South America. On the territory of Eurasia and, first of all, in the space of the former USSR, there are 45 species representatives. Among them are not only food species, but also technical ones, such as tobacco, as well as medicinal and wild-growing ones.

Among the nightshade, there are not only food plants, but also technical, medicinal, and wild-growing ones.

The latter are found very often on the sides of the roads, near a person's dwelling, in a garden, or a vegetable garden. Among them there are poisonous - bittersweet nightshade and black. The first species lives in the European part of Russia and in the south of Western Siberia. It is a subshrub that blooms with purple flowers and has bright red berries. Most often it can be found near water bodies, in ravines, in lowlands, in a forest.

The black nightshade grows next to a person, it can often be seen outside the house. It blooms with small white flowers, the fruits are black or green.

Propagation of nightshade by cuttings

At home, nightshade can be propagated by cuttings. They are rooted in a mixture of peat and sand at a temperature of 22-25 °. To create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with foil. In conditions of high humidity, rooting takes place much faster.

As soon as the cuttings begin to grow, the film is removed. To form dense, fluffy bushes, the plants are pinched 3-4 times. All parts of the nightshade are poisonous, therefore, when working with it, you must use rubber gloves.

General characteristics of plants

More than ninety genera and 2300 species of solanaceous plants live on Earth. Each of us almost daily sees their fruits on our table. They are familiar to everyone - potato tubers, eggplants (blue), pepper pods, juicy tomatoes. These fruits are among the most important nutritious foods for humans.

Among the nightshade, there are not only those that a person feeds on, heals, but also decorative and wild plants.

Representatives of the family in question are distributed throughout all continents, but especially in Central and South America. If in the temperate climatic zone of Eurasia they are mainly represented by annual and perennial herbaceous plants, then on the American continent it can be shrubs with climbing and erect stems, trees, vines.

Diseases and pests

If the growing conditions are not followed, a number of problems can arise.

• The leaves and fruits of the nightshade dry up. The problem most often arises from too high temperature and dry air. The pot with the plant must be rearranged to a cooler place and sprayed as often as possible.
• The fruits shrivel and the leaves fall off. Most likely, the plant suffers from a lack of moisture in the soil. It is necessary to strictly observe the irrigation regime, and not to allow the substrate to dry out.
• The nightshade leaves turn yellow. Yellowing of the leaves can be the result of over-watering or lack of lighting. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the recommendations for plant care. To prevent flooding, there must be drain holes in the bottom of the pot.
• After flowering, fruits are not set. In most cases, the plant self-pollinates well. But sometimes pollination is done manually. To do this, do not shake the pot with the plant much or put it in a well-ventilated place.
• Nightshade grows slowly. Growth retardation is observed with a lack of lighting. The plant must be rearranged to the south side.
• Leaves are discolored. The problem arises when there is a lack of batteries. It is necessary to apply the recommended fertilizers in a timely manner.
• The nightshade leaves turn pale. Nightshade is deficient in potassium. To eliminate the problem, potash fertilizers are applied to the soil.
• The lower leaves of the nightshade are yellow with brown spots. The plant suffers from a lack of magnesium in the soil. Fertilizers with microelements are required.
• Yellow rings on nightshade leaves. The described signs are characteristic of viral diseases. There are no effective measures to combat them. Affected plants are destroyed.

Of the pests of nightshade, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects are most often affected. To combat them, systemic insecticides are used.

Manufacture of tobacco products

The main use of raw materials is the manufacture of various tobacco products. Of these, cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and hookahs hold the undoubted leadership.

The most common product is cigarettes. They are a paper stick, inside which finely chopped tobacco leaves will interfere. Cigarettes are equipped with a filter that prevents harmful substances from entering the lungs.

It is interesting! Cigarettes in their usual form appeared only in 1913. It was then that the world famous brand "Camel" was born.

Cigar Is a tobacco product made from tightly rolled leaves. Raw materials for cigars undergo at least two fermentation. Another feature is the lack of a filter.

Cigarillos are very similar in shape to cigars, but they use shredded tobacco in their manufacture. Cigarillos also do not have a filter, and the smoke from them must not be inhaled.

Hookah - an ancient smoking device. It consists of a flask where water is poured (it serves as a filter), a shaft extending from it (its function is to retain harmful substances), a hose and a bowl for tobacco.

Important! It is widely believed that hookah is a safe alternative to cigarettes. This is not the case: hookah tobacco contains the same harmful substances as regular tobacco. The water filter filters out only the smallest part of them.

Significance in agriculture

Potatoes are of great importance for agriculture in different countries. It is used in various industries - both in food production and in the technical industry, and as feed for agricultural animals.

Potatoes were brought to Europe in 1565 from South America.

And he came to Russia thanks to Peter the Great, who brought him from Holland in the 17th century. At first, the people did not accept this plant, since there were cases of eating not root crops, but the external fruits of potatoes, which were poisonous. People received poisoning, sometimes fatal, which turned out to be the cause of the so-called potato riots. Only in the 19th century, the potato was appreciated, and it became ubiquitous.

Not only potatoes, but also other nightshades have become the main vegetable crops of our time.These are, first of all, tomatoes, different types of peppers and eggplants.

• Tomatoes were brought to Europe from Peru and Ecuador in 1523... At first, they served as ornamental plants, they were used to decorate gardens. Moreover, these tomatoes were predominantly yellow. Hence the name - "tomato", which in Spanish means "golden apple". Then these fruits began to be used as medicinal plants, and only later did they acquire great importance for agriculture. In Russia, they were first grown in the Crimea in 1883, since these representatives of the Solanaceous are thermophilic. Over time, they have won wide recognition in Russia, and today they are grown everywhere. There are hundreds of varieties of cultivated plants.
• Peppers have also become very popular. This plant also loves warmth, since it arrived on our continent from Guatemala and Mexico. In Europe, it became known from the 16th century, and in Russia it began to be grown later, since this plant could not withstand the harsh climatic conditions. However, scientists have developed special varieties, and now peppers can be grown in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, in the vicinity of Penza. Today, these vegetables have taken root in the gardens of the Altai Territory, in the southern regions of the Novosibirsk and Omsk regions.
• Eggplant is also an important crop. These plants came to us from East India. Their history is documented in ancient Arabic sources, which indicate that people began to cultivate eggplants in the 9th century. Europeans have long cultivated these plants as ornamental because they considered the fruits of eggplants unhealthy. And only with the discovery of America, the attitude towards this culture changed. The fact is that the South American Indians used this vegetable for food, which served as a good example for the Europeans. In Russia, it began to grow in the 18th century.

Solanaceae are a fairly large family, containing over 90 genera and about 3000 species that grow almost all over the world, most in the tropical regions of Central and South America. Among the representatives of this family there are many food, decorative and poisonous plants.

Representatives of the family are trees, shrubs, grasses, and sometimes lianas. Leaves

simple, regular.
Flowers
solitary or in cymose inflorescences, most often curls. Flowers are actinomorphic or zygomorphic. The calyx is five-toothed, preserved in fruits. Corolla is spine-lobe, five-membered, spike-shaped, tubular, saucer-shaped or broadly bell-shaped. To the corolla tube, alternating with its teeth, 5 stamens grow from the inside. Gynoecium syncarpous of 2 carpels, ovary superior, two-celled or secondarily four-five-celled with numerous ovules. A column with a two-lobed or two-part stigma.
Fruit
- berries or boxes.

Solanaceae contain alkaloids, as a result of which many of them are poisonous and which is also associated with their economic use as medicinal and narcotic plants. The latter include, for example, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum

), dope (
Datura stramonium
), belladonna
,
or belladonna (
Atropa belladonna
), black henbane (
Hyoscyamus niger
), etc. Some nightshades are used as decorative, for example, common physalis (
Physalis alkekengi
), petunia (
Petunia hybrida
), scented tobacco (
Nicotianaoffinis
) and etc.

For our flora, the 2 largest genera are of interest: Dereza and Nightshade. Rod nightshade (Solanum
L.)
includes about 1700 species that live around the globe, more often in the subtropics and tropics. This is one of the largest genera of the Solanov family. These are trees, shrubs, grasses, often lianas, sometimes with thorns, deciduous or evergreen. The leaves are alternate, without stipules. The flowers are bisexual, usually in cymoseous panicle inflorescences, five-membered with a fused corolla and an inferior ovary. The fruits are berries. Many members of this genus are poisonous.The well-known food plants of this genus are potatoes (S. tuberosum) and eggplant (S. dulcamara). The only wild-growing species of central Russia is
bittersweet nightshade.
In European Russia from group I occurs Nicandra physaloides

, from group II -
Solanum
,
Lycium
,
Hyoscyamus
,
Atropa
and others and from III -
Datura
... Family II contains many useful plants, e.g. potatoes (
Solanum tuberosum
), tobacco (
Nicotiana
), tomatoes (
Lycopersicum esculentum
), Spanish, or capsicum (
Capsicum annuum
),
Salpiglossis
and etc.

Used in medicine

Not everyone knows that some of the medicines widely used by experts are obtained from nightshade plants. Yes, and traditional medicine has long revealed a certain benefit that some fruits, grass or stems can bring.

For example, bittersweet nightshade is widely known among the people. Healers actively used these berries, leaves and stems, making infusions and ointments for psoriasis, as well as choleretic and expectorant drugs.

Belladonna, popularly called belladonna, is the supplier of roots and leaves used in folk and official medicine. They can be easily made into tablets and tinctures that can help with cholecystitis, Parkinson's disease, and some stomach ailments. After all, they have antispasmodic and anesthetic properties.

Datura is one of the few plants growing in the wild in our country. Experienced herbalists know that its flowers contain a dangerous poison - the alkaloid hyoscine. It is able to calm the nervous system, which is why the leaves are used to cure whooping cough and relieve asthma attacks. Overdose is very dangerous - from hallucinations to more serious poisoning.

Mandragora is so famous that it even found its reflection in legends. Among European peoples, you can find many myths that this plant can scream, and any living creatures, hearing its cry, fall dead. In fact, its roots (strongly resembling a human figure) contain scopolamine, an alkaloid that can be used in medicine. Some species, such as the Turkmen mandrake, are edible - but only after ripening.

Solanaceous crops, what belongs to them. Vegetables

The nightshade family includes such popular cultivated vegetables as potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Potatoes - every person knows this plant well. It's hard to imagine a table without him. It is found in the diet of most of us almost daily. Contrary to popular belief, this culture contains useful minerals, is rich in vitamins, especially provitamin A. It is difficult to list all the dishes where potatoes are found.

The variety is simply amazing, the plant is represented by a mass of varieties of different taste, shape, size, color, chemical composition and quality. There are varieties that are not afraid of frosts, and even small frosts, the Colorado potato beetle does not take them. In the overall ranking of agricultural crops, this plant is second only to wheat, rice and corn.

An equally popular nightshade is a tomato. The Europeans learned about it at the same time as potatoes, but the Aztecs and Incas - this plant was cultivated already in the VIII century. More than 10,000 varieties of tomato are known today. There was a long debate about where to attribute this plant to berries or vegetables. In 2001, the European Union determined that this is a fruit representative. The tomato fruit does not contain cholesterol, has a large amount of vitamins A and C, there is an orphan or "happiness hormone". Due to its lycopene content, it is a good anti-cancer agent and is used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Heat treatment does not impair its useful properties.

Eggplants and a wide variety of peppers are also the nightshade family.

Eggplant

Not everyone knows that another name for the plant is dark-fruited nightshade.Another interesting fact is that although eggplant is better known as a vegetable, it is biologically a berry, just like the fruit of a tomato. The plant was brought to Europe from Asia in the 15th century, although it gained wide popularity only in the 19th.

The height of the plant, depending on the variety, reaches from 50 to 300 centimeters. The leaves resemble oak in appearance. Flowers can be single or collected in inflorescences, white, lilac or purple. Pear-shaped eggplant fruits.

Many gardeners know that overripe eggplants become bitter. This is due to the accumulation of solanine in the fruit. To avoid problems, you need to pick the eggplants a little unripe, immediately after they take on a lilac or purple color (there are other varieties, for example, white or red). There is a way to remove the bitterness from the fruit: they should be cut into cubes and placed in cold salt water. After 10-20 minutes, you can start cooking the soaked eggplant.

Potatoes

In a scientific way, the potato is called "Tuberous nightshade". This is a perennial, the tubers of which are deservedly one of the foodstuffs in many states. The bushes of the plant reach a meter in height. The flowers are pink, purple or white, collected in inflorescences. The fruit is a poisonous green berry that should not be eaten. Only tubers are edible in potatoes. However, their greening indicates the accumulation of solanine - such potatoes should not be eaten. But they can be planted in their summer cottage, some gardeners specifically lay out the tubers in the sun before planting, which contributes to an increase in the amount of solanine - such potatoes are not gnawed by mice.

The birthplace of culture, like many other nightshades, is South America. There he can still be found in the wild. Interestingly, 7-9 thousand years ago, some of the South American Indians worshiped the vegetable. Potatoes were brought to Europe in the 16th century. People did not immediately understand that the tubers of a poisonous plant are edible, but this was soon proved. In France, potatoes have even helped to cope with hunger and scurvy. In Russia, they resisted the new vegetable, there were "potato riots" due to the fact that the peasants did not want to plant the plant. But by the twentieth century, potatoes had become an extremely popular food in our country.

The value of culture as a product was reflected in the 2019 film The Martian, where the protagonist uses it to survive on Mars. Interestingly, in real life, potatoes are a "space plant": in 1995, they became the first vegetable grown on the space station.

general description

According to the international classification, solanaceous plants belong to the Dicotyledonous class, the Flowering department. The family has formed a separate order - Solaceae, to which the Bindweed family also belongs.

Most often these are herbaceous erect, climbing or creeping plants (potatoes, mandrake, black nightshade). There are also shrubs and semi-shrubs (pepper, bittersweet nightshade, wolfberry), less often trees. Regardless of the life form, all Solanaceae have characteristic features.

Some members of the family (belladonna, dope, henbane) contain strong alkaloids that can cause human death. Often all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Fig. 1. Belladonna flowers.

Family members

There are a lot of varieties of nightshades, about 2500. They can be found in Eurasia and America, as well as in the vastness of our homeland.

Outwardly, it is a herbaceous plant, it can be both an annual and a perennial. You can also find trees from the nightshade varieties. The varieties of this group are divided into wild plants, and those that are grown on purpose.

The main groups are:

• vegetable;
• decorative;
• medicinal or poisonous.

Briefly about tomatoes

The nightshade family also includes tomatoes. They were brought to Europe, from where they came to our country, from South America. You can still see the wild ancestors of tomatoes there.Their fruits are much smaller than those of cultivated plants, and the taste is not so good - the sugar content is much lower. For a long time, the tomato was considered poisonous, and the culture was grown mainly because of the flowers - very nondescript, but exotic.

Well, today various varieties of tomatoes do not leave our tables almost all year round. Moreover, not only fresh tomatoes are used - simply chopped or in salads - they are added to a variety of different dishes. They are boiled, fried, stewed, canned. Lecho sauces and ketchup are very popular in our country. Many housewives add tomatoes to borscht and other soups. But tomato soups are especially common in Spain - gazpacho and salmorejo are very popular here.

These fruits are not only tasty, but also healthy. They should be consumed by people suffering from anemia, gastritis and cardiovascular diseases. However, you should not get too carried away - it is advisable to consume no more than 100 grams of tomatoes per day, especially when it comes to fresh fruits that have not been heat-treated.

What you need to know about potatoes

If you make a list of the nightshade vegetables most actively used in the diet, then potatoes will come first. No wonder - it's hard to imagine modern cuisine without the usual tubers. But the vegetable potato has overcome many obstacles and adventures before becoming an integral part of our diet. His homeland is North America, and he came to Europe, as mentioned above, because of the attractive colors. Then his tubers were small, and no one knew that they could be eaten. Some enthusiasts ate berries and received serious poisoning, which sowed a serious distrust among the common people.

But today hundreds of various dishes are prepared from potato vegetables - from pancakes to mashed potatoes, from dumplings to French fries. Unsurprisingly, this is a very satisfying and tasty product containing up to 25% starch - almost pure carbohydrates, allowing you to quickly recuperate. Also in the tubers there is a lot of fiber and vitamin C. It is no coincidence that in the past centuries, many sailors, as well as the inhabitants of the North, used raw potatoes to treat scurvy.

Tobacco

Sometimes this nightshade crop can be grown in summer cottages. But more often it is still cultivated by large agricultural enterprises. There are several varieties of tobacco. Such plants can be grown herbaceous perennial or annual, shrub and semi-shrub.

The green mass of tobacco, in addition to minerals, pectins, acids or alkalis, contains tar and nicotine. This plant is used, as you know, mainly in the production of cigarettes. Also, tobacco nicotine can be used in medicine.

Physalis

This vegetable from the family of nightshades has the following Latin name: Phýsalis. In the Russian language, the pronunciation of this word with an emphasis on the second syllable is incorrectly fixed, although it is more correct to do it on the first.

Unlike the cultivated nightshades discussed above, this plant in gardens and vegetable gardens can be found quite rarely. However, some summer residents still grow physalis. The fruit of this culture is a capsule formed from accrete sepals and can be red, yellow or orange.

In Russia, the most commonly grown glue-fruited physalis, also called Mexican tomato. The fruit of this plant has a rich, pleasant vegetable taste. Also, domestic summer residents often grow strawberry, very fragrant physalis. The fruits of this variety are juicy and sweet. They are appreciated by gardeners primarily for their pleasant strawberry aroma and taste.

In any case, physalis fruits are considered a dietary product. They are composed of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, and they have many useful properties. How to eat physalis correctly, since it is a plant for domestic gardens is still a rather rare culture, of course, not all Russian summer residents know.In fact, everything is extremely simple. You can eat physalis, for example, fresh. Also, winter preparations are often made from the fruits of this plant. That is, physalis is used in exactly the same way as tomatoes and peppers.

What have we learned?

We learned about the distinctive features and structure of plants of the Solanov family, as well as about their role in human life. We learned the formula of the flower of the Solanaceae family, found out which plants are poisonous and which are edible.

The nightshade family has been known to people since ancient times. After all, people have eaten plants of this species for more than a century. Many nightshades are used to create medicines and decorate our lives as ornamental plants. In one family, these plants combine certain traits. They have a common fruit type, flower formula and, in general, life form.

Poisonous representatives

All nightshade crops contain solanine, a poisonous substance. Because of this, for example, there were many poisonings when, during the time of Peter I, potatoes were brought to Russia. People ate the fruits of the plant, not its tubers, as a result of which they were poisoned. Of course, because of this fact, all nightshades cannot be considered absolutely poisonous; the crops of the family have edible parts. However, small children need to be monitored - they can, for example, accidentally eat leaves and thereby damage their health. But among the wild representatives of the family there are extremely dangerous ones. Many of them contain not only solanine, but also alkaloids. List of nightshade plants, all parts of which are poisonous to humans:

• Bittersweet nightshade. It is found in humid places, mainly in thickets of bushes and willows on the banks of water bodies. It has a height of up to 180 centimeters, pointed oblong leaves. The flowers are lilac, pink or white, collected in panicle inflorescences. Fruits - bright red berries up to 1 cm in size, differ in brilliance and elliptical shape. Interestingly, nightshade is very decorative; it can be used to decorate a plot. Also, the plant has long been used in folk medicine. But given its toxicity, extreme care must be taken in its use.
• Black nightshade. Annual up to 120 centimeters high. Leaves are ovoid, pointed, may be elongated. Flowers - white stars, collected in semi-umbellate inflorescences. Conditionally edible plant: some eat ripe berries. However, unripe fruits are poisonous and can be fatal. But even ripe berries are contraindicated in large quantities, as well as for some chronic diseases and any allergies (they have strong allergenic properties). The main indicator of the ripeness of fruits that ripen in August-October is black. The plant is also used in folk methods of treating diseases. Berries of the nightshade family in the photo below.

• Belladonna, or belladonna. A perennial herb that loves forest edges and clearings, as well as river banks. It has stems up to a meter in the first year and up to 2 meters in subsequent, ovoid pointed leaves. Flowers are single or paired, shaped like a bell, painted in purple or yellow. The fruit is a large berry of dark purple, almost black color. Like nightshade, it is extremely poisonous, but used in folk medicine. Belladonna is listed in the Red Book, so you shouldn't rip it off.
• Datura. Annual herb up to one and a half meters tall. The leaves are serrated, ovate, pointed. The lower part of the sheet is lighter than the upper one. The flowers are large, white, and have an intoxicating aroma. The fruit is a spiny capsule with black seeds that bursts when ripe. Interestingly, dope was described by the Aztecs, who were familiar with its poisonous effect.
• Henbane. Widespread biennial herb. Height - from 20 to 110 centimeters. It has an unpleasant odor.In the first year, henbane has only a rosette of pointed ellipsoidal leaves, and tall stems grow in the second season. Flowers can be yellow or whitish, inside they have a purple-violet corolla. The fruit is not a berry, but a capsule with a large number of grayish-brown or brown seeds. The intoxicating effect of the plant is reflected in the Russian proverb: "ate henbane."

• Mandrake, or witch root. A perennial herb that does not occur in Russia. Its height is up to 80 centimeters, the leaves are oval or lanceolate, large. They are collected in an outlet, but the mandrake does not have a stem. Single flowers are purple, blue or greenish-white. The fruit is a ball-shaped berry, yellow in color and with an apple-like scent. The root has a shape that resembles a human figure, because of this, many legends have arisen about the magical power of the mandrake.

It is impossible to list all the species that are poisonous to humans, but the plants listed are the most common.

What belongs to nightshade crops. Physalis ("Mexican tomato")

Family of nightshades. Phyzalis can rightfully be called a "familiar stranger." If you ask a few people at random about it, it turns out that only a few people have heard of it, but as soon as you describe it, more precisely - a dry cup, a little resembling a huge buckwheat grain in shape, only with a large number of ribs and sharper (inside this cup, by the way , and the fruit-berry is enclosed), it turns out that almost everyone saw it, though ... as part of dry bouquets, and not on the table. And very often people are surprised to learn that the "sibling" of this popular dried flower, very similar to it in appearance, is a vegetable, and also very nutritious. Nevertheless, this is a fact - in terms of its characteristics, Physalis is no worse than many traditional garden crops. Although, paradoxically, it is also not a new culture (in Russia physalis has been cultivated since the 19th century), and one can only rejoice that interest in this peculiar vegetable has recently begun to grow slowly.

Physalis got its name from the Greek word "physa", which in translation means "bubble", thus focusing on the presence of the aforementioned cup. In general, the physalis genus has more than 110 species, most of which are weeds, but there are also several food species - this is the gummy physalis (aka Mexican), the pubescent physalis (or strawberry) and the Peruvian physalis. In vegetable gardens, Mexican physalis is most often cultivated, better adapted to the conditions of Ukraine and many regions of Russia (there are many regions where this type of physalis can be grown even in a reckless way), although the sweeter strawberry physalis has begun to catch up with it in recent years.

Biological features Mexican Physalis is a perennial plant, grown in our conditions as an annual.

The only factor this culture is demanding on is warmth. The rest of Physalis is extremely unpretentious. It grows well both in the sun and in partial shade, gives normal yields on any soils - from clay to sandy loam and even sandy, if they have been well cultivated and fertilized (although it is advisable to apply organic fertilizers under previous crops), but does not like saline, waterlogged and strongly acidic.

The growing season for physalis (from germination to harvesting) lasts an average of about 100 days. At the same time, it is characterized by an extended flowering period (from June to September) and, accordingly, fruiting (from August to October). At first, flowers appear on the lower tiers of the bush, and when fruits are tied from them, flowering moves to a higher tier. As a result, ripe and already falling fruits and buds can be simultaneously present on the same plant. In general, his fruits do not stop forming until the first autumn frosts.Perhaps that is why physalis is more fond of gardeners than the agricultural industry - it is impossible to organize a one-time harvest for it, the collection of finished products is carried out constantly.

The fruits of this type of physalis are formed in the places of branching of the stem, their average weight is about 30-50 g (there are also large-fruited varieties weighing more than 100 g). A sign of their ripening is discoloration and shedding, but before they manage to break through the calyx. His cup is orange, the fruit itself is a bit like a tomato, but covered with a sticky bloom, so before using them you need to blanch them in boiling water for several minutes.

Varieties of Mexican physalis are very well pollinated among themselves, therefore, if there are several varieties of them on the site, it is impossible to get pure-variety seeds.

Physalis strawberry (sometimes also called "raisin") is grown as a dessert culture.

His fruits, as a rule, are smaller (weighing 2 - 2.5 g, with a diameter of 1.5 - 2 cm), but thanks to selection in some varieties, they are not inferior in size and weight to the fruits of Mexican physalis, their wrapper first has a green color , and when the fruit ripens, it turns yellow and dries up.

Ripe berries, unlike Mexican physalis, do not break the dry wrapper, so they are better protected from cracking and decay and are stored longer. The yield is about 2 kg from 1 m2.

The value of culture Mexican physalis is very nutritious and surprisingly versatile in culinary terms; it is used for the preparation of salads, soups, caviar, sauces and jelly, it can be salted and pickled, added to the first and second courses instead of tomatoes, and also used for the preparation of confectionery (marmalade, marshmallow, raisins, preserves, jam, etc. .) and even liqueurs and liqueurs. By the way, after processing, its fruits give the dishes a beautiful orange color. It contains essential amino acids necessary for good nutrition, proteins (12% on dry matter), caxapa (30%), fiber (about 10%), fats (up to 3%), vitamins (including vitamin C in large quantities - 138 mg per 100 g of dry matter), pectins, organic acids that allow it to be successfully preserved, and many other biologically active substances. For medicinal and dietary purposes, it is used primarily to alleviate the condition of patients with kidney stones, with gout and rheumatism (both internally and externally in the form of an ointment from crushed fruits), and also as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Tomatoes

This cultivated plant is perhaps the most popular representative of the nightshade among domestic summer residents after potatoes. Most Russian gardeners grow tomatoes from year to year in large quantities.

For the entire time of human cultivation, breeders have bred just a huge number of varieties of tomatoes. If desired, in a suburban area, you can grow early, mid-season, late tomatoes. The seeds of this culture of salad varieties are on sale, intended for fresh consumption or bred specifically for canning.

The tomato is a vegetable whose fleshy juicy fruits can be red, yellow, or orange. Some genetically modified varieties of tomatoes are purple, blue or, for example, black. However, such varieties are not cultivated on the territory of Russia. The cultivation of genetically modified crops in our country, as you know, is prohibited by law.

Pepper

Tradescantia - species of ampelous plants Anderson, Zebrina and others

Pepper is another familiar nightshade. It is a perennial shrub that is mainly cultivated as an annual crop. The stem of the plant at a young age is herbaceous, over time it coarsens and stiffens. The height of the plant depends on the variety and can vary from 20 to 125 cm (in protected ground it can even grow up to 3 meters). Pepper stem shapes can be bushy, half-stem or standard.

Most of the total mass of the culture is foliage. The color of the sheets is from light to dark green. The flowers are characterized by a wheel-like shape. They can be paired, singles, or even tied up in bunches.

Pepper fruit can be of different colors, shapes and sizes. The weight can also be very different - from 5 to 200 grams. Pepper fruits are widely used for cooking and can be preserved for the winter.

Nightshade fruits

The fruits of the nightshade are of two types: in the form of berries or boxes. So, for example, in such well-known representatives of the nightshade as tomato or nightshade, the fruit is a berry. We eat the underground part of the potato - tubers, and its berries are poisonous. But in poisonous species, such as henbane or dope, the fruit is presented in the form boxes - dry polyspermous opening fruit (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Tobacco seeds in a box, dope fruit (Source)

Solanaceous metamorphosis

The tubers of a potato are its underground shoots; these are not the fruits of a potato, but its underground branch. Tubers appear in potatoes on underground annual shoots, on underground stolons. Potato has two metamorphoses, two modifications - stolons and tubers (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Metamorphoses of potatoes (Source)

Common pests of the family

There are many pests of nightshade crops. What concerns them:

• gnawing scoops;
• wireworm;
• false wire;
• bear;
• larvae of lamellar beetles;
• whitefly;
• bug bug;
• Colorado beetle;
• miner fly;
• thrips;
• ticks;
• blister beetles;
• root knot nematode;
• aphid.

In fact, plants can be affected by other insects, but the ones listed above are especially common. In addition to using various insecticides, it is important to observe crop rotation and the correct neighborhood of plants in the garden: different nightshades should not grow side by side. Also, vegetables of the family are not planted in one place for several years in a row.

Solanaceous harm

Many fruits, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants, contain solanine. This is a plant alkaloid, the ingestion of which can lead to the most unpleasant consequences. Solanine poisoning can cause a variety of ailments: insomnia, diarrhea, headache, dizziness. Solanine also leads to a malfunction of the thyroid gland, increases intestinal permeability, and can cause joint pain.

During heat treatment, solanine is almost completely destroyed. And the use of most of the fruits within reasonable limits does not cause harm. Of course, if you do not eat a kilogram of fresh tomatoes a day. As they say, in everything you need to know when to stop.

And, of course, there are openly poisonous plants - primarily belladonna and dope, the concentration of toxic substances in which is especially high. But they are not eaten. Therefore, the risk of poisoning can be eliminated.