Name: The Flowering Plants-Angiosperms
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 18 min 19 s
Description: Angiosperms are the most recent or advanced plants of the plant kingdom. They bear flowers and enclose seeds in fruits. Their life cycle is complex with doub...

Question

Describe important features of family Solanaceae. Write its floral formula and economic importance.

Accepted Answer

Solanaceae is commonly called potato family that has 90 genera and about 2000 species.
(i) Habit: Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, or small tree.
(ii) Roots: Tap root system is present.
(iii) Stem: Herbaceous or woody, erect or rarely climbing. Stem tubers occur in certain species. Prickles are present as stem modification.
(iv) Leaves: Petiolate; alternate or opposite, simple, exstipulate with reticulate venation.

(v) Inflorescence: Terminal or lateral cyme or solitary.
(vi Flower: Pedicellate, ebracteate, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic, regular, complete, hermaphrodite, hypogynous;
(vii) Calyx: 5 sepals; fused (gamosepalous); green; often much enlarged in the fruit.
(viii) Corolla: 5 petals, gamopetalous, bell shaped or funnel shaped.
(ix) Stamens: 5 stamens, epipetalous, anther free or unite, basifixed.
(x) Carpel: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovary superior, obliquely placed, bilocular, sometimes, become multilocular by the presence of false septum. Placentation is axile.
(xi) Fruits: Capsule or berry.
(xii) Seed: Endospermic seed.

Floral formula of Solanaceae:

Economic Importance of Solanaceae family:

i) Food: Many plants of this family are used as food. S

Solanum tuberosum (potato-white or Irish potato): It is an important plant in this family. It is used as food.

Lysopersicum esculentum (tomato): It was believed to be a poisonous plant. But now it is used as a vegetable.

Solanum melongena (egg plant or brinjal): It is also used as food.

Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens are rich in vitamin C and vitamin A. They are used as condiments.

Physalis (4-jet-Ground-Cherry): It produces an edible fruit that is enclosed in a bladder like calyx called husk. So it is called husk tomato.

(ii) Tobacco: Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) has great commercial value. Its leaves are dried and made into tobacco. This tobacco is used for making cigarettes.
(iii) Medicinal plants: Many members of this family produce powerful alkaloids, e.g. Atropa belladonna, Datura, etc. These are rich in atropine and daturines. These are used in many medicines.
(iv) Ornamental Plants: Many plants are cultivated in the gardens for their beautiful flowers.

Describe important features of family Solanaceae. Write its floral formula and economic importance.

Important Questions on Morphology of Flowering Plants

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