fruits from the Solanaceae family, which includes the closely related tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, bell peppers, and chili peppers.
The Solanaceae/slnei/, or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that contains a variety of agricultural products, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals. They range from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees. Many members of the family, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell and chili peppers, contain strong alkaloids, some of which are quite deadly. The family is a member of the order Solanales, asterid group, and Magnoliopsida class (dicotyledons). [2] About 98 genera and 2,700 species[3] make up the Solanaceae, which has a wide range of environments, morphology, and ecology.
The genus Solanum is where the word Solanaceae comes from. Uncertainty surrounds the Latin word’s derivation. The name may have been inspired by people thinking that some solanaceous blooms resemble the sun and its rays. The term “sunberry” refers to at least one species of the Solanum genus. Alternatively, the name might have come from the Latin verb solare, which means “to soothe,” alluding to some of the family’s psychotropic members’ sedative pharmacological qualities.
This family is widespread throughout the planet, with the exception of Antarctica. In South and Central America, there is a greater variety of species. A 52 million years ago (B.P.) tomatillo fossil named Physalis infinemundi was found in the Patagonian region of Argentina. Scientists discovered it and analyzed it in 2017. The discovery has delayed the plant family Solanaceae’s historical emergence. [4] This suggests that the Solanaceae may have originally evolved during the Mesozoic Era since tomatillos likely developed later than other nightshades. [5]
There are several regularly harvested or farmed species in the Solanaceae family. The potato (S. tuberosum; the family is often known as the “potato family”), tomato (S. lycopersicum), and eggplant or aubergine are the most economically significant members of the Solanum genus (S. melongena). Bell and chili peppers are both produced from the Capsicum genus, another significant one.
The so-called groundcherries, tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), and Physalis alkekengi are all produced by the Physalis genus (Chinese lantern). Boxthorns and Lycium barbarum, the goji berry, are both members of the Lycium genus. Tobacco is one of the species of Nicotiana.
Petunia, Browallia, and Lycianthes are a few additional significant Solanaceae members. Datura, Mandragora (mandrake), and Atropa belladonna are sources of hallucinogenic alkaloids (deadly nightshade). Some species are well recognized for being poisonous, having psychotropic effects, or being used medicinally. [6]
The majority of the economically significant genera, with the exception of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, Nicotianoideae) and petunia, are found in the subfamily Solanoideae (Petuniahybrida, Petunioideae).
Numerous members of the family Solanaceae, including tobacco and petunia, serve as model organisms in research on fundamental biological issues at the cellular, molecular, and genetic levels.
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Petunia: a nightshade or not?
Petunia is a genus of roughly 35 flowering plant species that are native to South America and members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The common garden petunia (Petunia atkinsiana) is a decorative plant that is well-liked for summer window boxes and flower beds because of its eye-catching trumpet-shaped flowers.
The majority of petunia species are annual herbs. The leaves are usually oval in shape with smooth margins and sessile (i.e., lacking a petiole, or leaf stem); some include tiny, sticky hairs. Five united or partially fused petals and five green sepals make up the funnel-shaped flowers. Although P. exserta is pollinated by hummingbirds, the majority of species are pollinated by insects. In a dry capsule, the tiny seeds are carried. Some old Petunia species have been reclassified into the closely related genus Calibrachoa, which is notable for the decorative plant known as “million bells,” thanks to molecular data (C. hybrida).
Petunias: Are they related to tomatoes?
The petunia genus contains roughly 35–40 species of flowering plants that are native to South America. They, along with tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, and chilli peppers, are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Petunia is divided into two closely related genera by the Kew Plant List, with 17 species remaining in Petunia and 28 species moving to Calibrachoa, which includes Calibrachoa parviflora. This native Californian plant is classified as Petunia parviflora in the Jepson Manual’s 2nd Edition from 2012. The blooms really do resemble little versions of our domesticated petunias. Nighttime hawkmoths of the genus Manduca frequently pollinate the tubular, fragrant blooms of petunias.
What plants in the garden belong to the nightshade family?
Tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers are members of the plant family known as nightshades. Another member of the nightshade family is tobacco. Due to the minute amounts of alkaloids they contain, nightshades are special.
Chemicals known as alkaloids are mostly found in plants. Alkaloids are substances that contain nitrogen and have an impact on the body, usually in a therapeutic sense. Two examples of plant-based medications using alkaloids are morphine and quinine.
Avocado: A nightshade or not?
Now that you are more knowledgeable about nightshades, let’s examine each vegetable on the list of nightshade foods individually to learn more about how potatoes, tomatoes, and other associates may affect your body.
The Eggplant
When Europeans first encountered the eggplant many years ago, they gave it the nickname “mala crazy,” which translates to “mad apple.” They assumed the eggplant belonged to a dangerous plant species.
Alpha-solamargine and alpha-solasonine are two distinct glycoalkaloids that eggplants make, it is now known.
The eggplant has these strong glycoalkaloids throughout, including in the peel, seeds, and meat.
The glycoalkaloids found in eggplant (also known as Solanum melongena L.) are poisonous chemical substances. A number of arsenic and strychnine-like effects on human health, such as GI issues and disorientation, have been observed in two varieties of Iranian eggplant. 8
If you must indulge in eggplant, keep your serving size in check and cut back on how often you consume it. And remember to pressure cook it, peel it, and remove the seeds to get rid of as many of those harmful components as you can. Additionally, depending on your health, it may be best to discuss glycoalkaloids, eggplant consumption, and how those things may effect your digestive problems with your doctor.
The Tomato
Alpha-tomatine and dehydrotomatine are two different forms of glycoalkaloids found in tomatoes. Tomatine, however, is a substance that really combines the two tomato glycoalkaloids.
It’s interesting to note that tomatine is present throughout the entire tomato. Now that the plant is more mature, the tomatine level varies. For instance, a green, immature tomato may contain 500 mg/kg or less of tomatine, but red, riper tomatoes may only contain 5 mg/kg or less of the glycoalkaloid. 9
And the U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that excessive exposure with tomatine can cause the symptoms listed below:
- Swelling
- Redness
- mucous membrane pain
- Coughing/wheezing
- Leaky gut symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea10
Again, the likelihood of these effects depends on your sensitivity to tomatine and how much of it you come into contact with, but it’s best to be safe than sorry.
The Potato
Now, not all varieties of potatoes are nightshades. Sweet potatoes and yams, for instance, are not included in the list of nightshade vegetables.
It’s difficult to imagine that any of the other members of the potato family might be harmful. In the Western diet, potatoes are a must-have ingredient.
However, potatoes only produce two glycoalkaloids: alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine. And these are the worst glycoalkaloids among those discovered in nightshade vegetables. They are also the most harmful. 11
In fact, use of these harmful glycoalkaloids has caused serious heart health and psychological problems in the most extreme cases.
Additionally, there are accounts of individuals who have consumed potatoes and had the symptoms listed below:
- discomfort in the digestive tract
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea12
In one instance, eating potato meals made over 80 boys in school ill. Of those boys, 17 were checked into the hospital. 13
Now, the majority of these glycoalkaloids won’t be able to enter your bloodstream if you’re generally healthy and your digestive system is unharmed. However, the amount of potato glycoalkaloids in your system can increase if you eat more potatoes or if you have intestinal permeability.
Potato skins should be avoided if you must eat potatoes. The largest concentration of glycoalkaloids is found in the skins.
And you should throw away any potatoes that are sprouting or have strange green spots right away.
Additionally, peeling your potatoes before cooking them can aid in minimizing the amount of glycoalkaloids you might ingest. Spit out the potato right away if it tastes harsh or gives you a burning sensation in your mouth. 14
The Pepper
There are less glycoalkaloids in peppers than in the other nightshades that make up the fruit family. Capsaicin, the substance that gives the fruit its heat, can, however, cause some unsettling effects.
For instance, some evidence suggests capsaicin may contribute to serious health issues. According to epidemiological research, capsaicin may raise the risk of stomach or gallbladder problems. 15,16
The Tobacco Leaf
When Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” in 1492, he observed some native people smoking an odd substance in Mexico and Cuba. They were smoking tobacco, it turned out.
At that time, in the middle of the sixteenth century, various tobacco species were imported from the New World into Europe. From that point on, tobacco spread throughout the world as a potent drug consumed through cigarettes, cigars, and even pipes. 17
You are aware that smoking tobacco products can lead to serious illnesses and even death; smoking tobacco has many harmful effects. Smoking can be the source of acute bad health impacts as well as chronic diseases that manifest as people age.
Ingestion of tobacco can have the following effects:
- accelerated aging visual indicators and increased oxidative stress
- reduction of micronutrients and antioxidants in the body
- Redness, swollenness, and pain in the joints
- Possibility of a compromised immune system
- Your lipid levels changing
- respiratory conditions include phlegm, coughing, and wheezing
- Addiction
- gum conditions
- Having trouble breathing
- age-related vision loss
- The inability to conceive successfully18
Lavender – a nightshade or not?
While the blooms of the common nightshade plant are white, those of the climbing nightshade plant have a lavender or bluish tint. Both blooms have a star-like structure with petals that peel away from the flower’s face, which is covered in a yellow cone of anthers. In climbing nightshade, the blooms appear in clusters along the stems and are just a half-inch wide, whereas those of ordinary nightshade are only marginally larger. Flowers are produced by climbing nightshade from May to September. In many regions of the plant’s distribution, common nightshade blooms from June through November.
Zucchini: a nightshade or not?
Vegetables that are not nightshades are frequently referred to as such due to the term’s widespread usage. Here are some vegetables that aren’t nightshades to clear up any confusion.
- Like black and white pepper, peppercorns are not a nightshade.
- In actuality, sweet potatoes are yams, not nightshades or potatoes.
- In contrast to nightshades, mushrooms are fungus.
- Nightshades do not include onions.
- It is not a nightshade, zucchini.
- Nightshades do not include cucumbers.
- Not a nightshade, coffee.
- Not a nightshade, squash.
- Nightshades do not include blueberries.
- Also not a nightshade is okra.
Petunias are what sort of flower?
Petunia plants come in four primary varieties: Grandiflora, Multiflora, Milliflora, and Spreading (Wave). All four can be found in series, which are collections of plants with similar sizes and flowering schedules. The spectrum of hues of various petunia blooms within each series is the sole characteristic that varies.
Varieties of Petunias
Grandiflora petunias, which were created in the 1950s, are the earliest varieties. Grandiflora petunia variants have bouquet-shaped plants with blooms up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) across. Even while the flowers are magnificent, by midsummer they start to look worn out and spindly. Grandiflora petunias thrive in mild summers with little to no excess moisture or humidity.
the Grandiflora petunia series
- Ultra
- Dream
- Storm
- Daddy
- Supermagic
- Supercascade
Petunias with many florets have smaller, more abundant blooms. Multiflora petunia cultivars are good for windy climates because of their sturdy stems. Particularly in wet weather, the blooms last a little while longer than Grandiflora petunia kinds. There are single and double kinds of multiflora petunias.
Among the preferred Multiflora petunias are:
- Primetime
- Celebrity
- Carpet
- Horizon
- Mirage
Petunia variants known as milliflora produce masses of 1- to 1-1/2-inch (2.5-4 cm) flowers on tiny plants. The plants are typically around 8 inches (20.5 cm) tall and wide when they are fully grown. Early blooming milliflora petunias are frequently grown in hanging baskets or containers. They are easy-to-care-for plants that don’t require deadheading.
A more modern kind, spreading, or wave petunias, have flowers that are normally around 2 inches (5 cm) across. The plants look fantastic in pots and make excellent ground covers, generally spreading 2 to 4 feet (0.5 to 1 m) by the end of the season. They normally don’t need deadheading and can handle heat and drought fairly well.
Petunias: Are they toxic?
Ingesting any part of the petunia plant will not make you sick or poison you. There is no evidence to suggest that coming into contact with a Petunia plant will result in an allergic reaction. When planting flowers in outdoor spaces that kids can access, petunias are a secure choice.
What benefits do petunias offer?
Stunning petunias are among the most well-liked flowers due to their amazing blossoms and protracted blossoming time. By summertime, they become lanky like most annuals do, so you should cut the shoots back to about half their original length. See how to grow petunias and care for them to keep them in bloom.
About Petunias
In most regions, petunias are cultivated as annuals, however in zones 9 to 11, they can be grown as sensitive perennials. The blooms bloom from spring till frost and come in a variety of hues and patterns.
These vibrant annuals are frequently used in borders, pots, hanging baskets, and even as temporary groundcover because of how well they can brighten up a front yard. Some even have a faint scent. Their spread along the ground can be anywhere between 18 inches and 4 feet, and their height can range from 6 inches to 18 inches.
Types of Petunias
Petunias are categorized into several categories, primarily according to flower size:
- The most resilient and productive petunias are multiflora varieties. They are perfect for summer bedding or in a mixed border because they have smaller but more numerous flowers (because they are more tolerant to wet weather).
- Grandiflora petunias grow well in hanging baskets or pots since they have very enormous flowers (because they are more susceptible to rain damage). Due of their susceptibility to rot during humid, hot summers, these huge petunias frequently do not thrive as well in the south.
- Between the grandiflora and the multiflora groupings, floribundas constitute a middle ground. Similar to multiflora types, they are free-flowering and have medium-sized blooms.
- Compared to other petunias on the market, milliflora petunias are significantly smaller. Despite just being 1 to 1 1/2 inches across, the flowers are abundant and bloom the entire season.
- Low-growing, spreading or trailing petunias can spread as much as three to four feet. The flowers develop throughout the whole length of each stem, forming a stunning, vibrant groundcover. They can be utilized in hanging baskets or window boxes.
Petunias require full sun to avoid becoming spindly. In the shadow, they don’t typically flower well.
Particularly in containers, the soil should be able to drain effectively and not become too damp. In order to encourage the best growth, it should also be relatively fertile. Before planting, amend poor soil with finished compost.
When to Plant Petunias
- It is simplest to get young plants from a nursery that offers flats of petunias. Be on the lookout for short, compact plants. Leggy petunias with an abundance of flowers won’t establish themselves as quickly.
- Petunias should be started indoors 8 to 10 weeks prior to your final spring frost date if you wish to grow them from seed. (View the frost dates in your area.)
- After your last spring frost date, plant young petunias outdoors, but keep a close watch on the weather forecast and shield young plants from late frosts.
How to Plant Petunias
- Petunia seeds need a lot of light to grow because they are so tiny (like dust!).
- Plant the baby seedlings outside as soon as they have three leaves.
- Plants should be placed about a foot apart.
- Use a potting mix for pots that will drain effectively if you’re growing petunias in them.
- You shouldn’t have to worry about watering petunias frequently because they can withstand heat well. Once a week, thorough watering should be enough (unless there are prolonged periods of drought in your area). Avoid shallow irrigation since it promotes shallow roots.
- Petunias that spread and those grown in containers will need more frequent watering than ones that are rooted in the ground.
- To stimulate their quick development and profuse blooming, treat petunias once a month with a balanced fertilizer. Double-flowered cultivars benefit from fertilizer applied every two weeks.
What to Do With Leggy Petunias
- After pruning, give the plants plenty of fertilizer and water to encourage flowering and new development. At first, the plants may appear ragged, but they will recover with more color and blossoms.
- In milder areas, older garden petunia plants can benefit from rigorous pruning (within a few inches of the base) to re-encourage vitality. However, the remaining leaves should be left on the plant.
- Deadheading is the process of removing faded, old, or dead blossoms from plants in order to increase blooming and aesthetic appeal, especially for petunias with larger flowers. Seed pods are kept from competing with blossoms for the plant’s food sources by deadheading. Clippings can be recycled by being placed to a compost pile.
- The “Carpet Series” is particularly well-liked. They are perfect for ground cover since they are compact, early bloomers, with flowers that range in size from 11/2 to 2 inches, and have a variety of colors.
- The flowers of the “Primetime” series are uniformly and compactly spaced every 21/4 inches.
- Early, compact, double, deep lavender blue ‘Heavenly Lavender’ has 3-inch blooms on 12- to 14-inch bushes.