Solanum

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Other uses}} {{Hatnote|"Horsenettle" and variants redirect here. If used for a particular species, this name usually applies to the Carolina horsenettle (''S. carolinense'')}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = | image = Starr_020323-0062_Solanum_seaforthianum.jpg | image_caption = Brazilian nightshade (''Solanum seaforthianum'') | display_parents = 3 | taxon = Solanum | authority = L.<ref name=grin>{{cite web | url = http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?11264 | title = ''Solanum'' L. | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network | publisher = United States Department of Agriculture | date = 2009-09-01 | access-date = 2013-07-15 }}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Subgenera | subdivision = ''Bassovia'' ''Leptostemonum'' ''Lyciosolanum'' ''Solanum'' (but see text) | synonyms = {{hidden begin|title = List}} * ''Amatula'' Medik. * ''Androcera'' Nutt. * ''Antimion'' Raf. * ''Aquartia'' Jacq. * ''Artorhiza'' Raf. * ''Bassovia'' Aubl. * ''Battata'' Hill * ''Bosleria'' A.Nelson * ''Ceranthera'' Raf. * ''Cliocarpus'' Miers * ''Codylis'' Raf. * ''Cyathostyles'' Schott ex Meisn. * ''Cyphomandra'' Mart. ex Sendtn. * ''Diamonon'' Raf. * ''Dimorphylia'' Cortés * ''Dulcamara'' Moench * ''Fontqueriella'' Rothm. * ''Lycomela'' Heist. ex Fabr. * ''Lycopersicon'' Mill. * ''Melongena'' Mill. * ''Normania'' Lowe * ''Nycterium'' Vent. * ''Pallavicinia'' De Not. * ''Parmentiera'' Raf. * ''Petagnia'' Raf. * ''Pheliandra'' Werderm. * ''Pionandra'' Miers * ''Pseudocapsicum'' Medik. * ''Psolanum'' Neck. * ''Scubulon'' Raf. * ''Solanastrum'' Heist. ex Fabr. * ''Solanocharis'' Bitter * ''Solanopsis'' Börner * ''Triguera'' Cav. {{hidden end}} |type_species = ''Solanum nigrum'' L.<ref name = "IPNI, 2023">''Solanum'' | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/30000630-2</ref> }} [[File:Solanum Lycopersicum tomkin 1.jpg|thumb|Unripe fruit of ''Solanum lycopersicum'' (tomato)]]

'''''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 {{wikt-lang|la|strychnos}}, most likely ''S. nigrum''. Its derivation is uncertain, possibly stemming from the Latin word {{wikt-lang|la|sol}}, meaning "sun", referring to its status as a plant of the sun.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2ndDtX-RjYkC | title = CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Vol. 4, R-Z | first = U. | last = Quattrocchi | publisher = Taylor and Francis | year = 2000 | isbn = 978-0-8493-2678-3 | page = 2058 }}</ref>

==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).<ref>Armando T. Hunziker 2001: The Genera of Solanaceae. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag, Ruggell, Liechtenstein. {{ISBN|3-904144-77-4}}.</ref> 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.<ref>Frohne, Dietrich and Pfänder, Hans Jürgen. 1984 ''A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants : A Handbook for Pharmacists, Doctors, Toxicologists, and Biologists'' transl. from 2nd German ed. by Norman Grainger Bisset, London : Wolfe Atlases. Wolfe Publishing.</ref>

== Taxonomy == {{See also|List of Solanum species}}

The genus was established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.<ref name="usda2006">{{cite web |title=Solanum Phylogeny |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/solanaceaesource/taxonomy/phylogeny/index.jsp |access-date=2009-11-01 |work=Solanaceae Source |publisher=Natural History Museum}}</ref> Its subdivision has always been problematic, but slowly some sort of consensus is being achieved.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The following list is a provisional lineup of the genus' traditional subdivisions, together with some notable species.<ref name="usda2006" /> 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

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''.<ref name="grin" />

===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''=== [[File:Solanum atropurpureum fruits.jpg|thumb|Five-minute plant (''S. atropurpureum'') fruit]] [[File:Solanum palinacanthum (cropped).jpg|thumb|''Solanum palinacanthum'']] [[File:Starr 020913-0042 Solanum robustum.jpg|thumb|Shrubby nightshade (''S. robustum'') flowers]] [[File:Starr 980529-4264 Solanum wendlandii.jpg|thumb|Giant potatocreeper (''S. wendlandii'') flowers]] [[File:Solanum pyracanthum 05 ies.jpg|thumb|Porcupine tomato (''S. pyracanthos'') fruit]]

====Section ''Acanthophora''==== * ''Solanum aculeatissimum'' Jacq. – Indian nightshade * ''Solanum atropurpureum'' Schrank – Five-minute plant * ''Solanum capsicoides'' – Cockroach berry, ''polohauai{{okina}}i'' (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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Whalen |first1=Michael D |year=1979 |title=Allozyme Variation and Evolution in ''Solanum'' Section ''Androceras'' |journal=Systematic Botany |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=203–222 |doi=10.2307/2418419 |jstor=2418419|bibcode=1979SysBo...4..203W }}</ref> * 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''==== {{Verify source|date=October 2008}}

====Section ''Herposolanum''==== * ''Solanum wendlandii'' Hook.f. – Giant potatocreeper

====Section ''Irenosolanum''==== * ''Solanum incompletum'' Dunal – ''Pōpolo kū mai'' (Hawai{{okina}}i) * ''Solanum nelsonii'' Dunal – Nelson's horsenettle, ''{{okina}}Ākia'' (Hawai{{okina}}i) * ''Solanum sandwicense'' Hook. & Arn. – Hawaiian horsenettle, ''Pōpolo{{okina}}aiakeakua'' (O{{okina}}ahu, Kaua{{okina}}i)

====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)<ref name="Electronic Flora of South Australia">{{cite web |title=Factsheet – ''Solanum cataphractum'' |url=http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanum%20species/key/Australian%20Solanum%20species/Media/Html/Solanum_cataphractum.htm |access-date=8 November 2020 |website=Electronic Flora of South Australia}}</ref> * ''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 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.

====Section ''Afrosolanum''==== ====Section ''Anarrhichomenum''==== * ''Solanum baretiae''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tepe |first1=E. J. |last2=Ridley |first2=G. |last3=Bohs |first3=L. |year=2012 |title=A new species of ''Solanum'' named for Jeanne Baret, an overlooked contributor to the history of botany |journal=PhytoKeys |issue=8 |pages=37–47 |doi=10.3897/phytokeys.8.2101 |pmc=3254248 |pmid=22287929 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2012PhytK...8...37T }}</ref>

====Section ''Archaesolanum''==== * ''Solanum aviculare'' – Poroporo (New Zealand), kangaroo apple (Australia)

====Section ''Basarthrum''==== * ''Solanum catilliflorum''<ref name="AndersonMartine2006">{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=G. J. |last2=Martine |first2=C. T. |last3=Prohens |first3=J. |last4=Nuez |first4=F. |year=2006 |title=''Solanum perlongistylum'' and ''S. catilliflorum'', New Endemic Peruvian Species of ''Solanum'', Section ''Basarthrum'', Are Close Relatives of the Domesticated Pepino, ''S. muricatum'' |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/37293 |journal=Novon |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=161–67 |doi=10.3417/1055-3177(2006)16[161:SPASCN]2.0.CO;2 |issn=1055-3177 |s2cid=85629504}}</ref> * ''Solanum muricatum'' – Pepino dulce, pepino melon, melon pear, "pepino", "tree melon" * ''Solanum perlongistylum''<ref name="AndersonMartine2006" /> * ''Solanum tergosericeum''<ref name="ochoa">{{Cite journal |last=Ochoa |first=C. M. |year=2006 |title=''Solanum tergosericeum'' (Solanaceae sect. Basarthrum): A new species from Peru |journal=Phytologia |volume=88 |issue=2 |pages=212–15 |doi=10.5962/bhl.part.27433 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

====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''==== Also known as: tomato lineage.

* ''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'' * ''Solanum lycopersicum'' – Tomato * ''Solanum neorickii'' * ''Solanum pennellii'' * ''Solanum pimpinellifolium'' – Currant tomato

====Section ''Macronesiotes''==== ====Section ''Normania''==== * †''Solanum nava'' (?)

====Section ''Petota''==== Also known as the "potato lineage". Including: subsections Estolonifera and Potatoe. * ''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'') * ''Solanum tuberosum'' – Potato

====Section ''Pteroidea''==== ====Section ''Quadrangulare''==== ====Section ''Regmandra''==== ====Section ''Solanum''==== * ''Solanum adscendens'' Sendtner – Sonoita nightshade (Americas) * ''Solanum americanum'' Mill. – American nightshade, American black nightshade, West Indian nightshade, glossy nightshade (Americas, Hawai{{okina}}i) * ''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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Reina |first1=Antonio Maria Martinez |last2=Zumaqué |first2=Lilibeth Tordecilla |last3=Martínez |first3=Liliana María Grandett |last4=Pinto |first4=María del Valle Rodríguez |date=2020-08-25 |title=Adopcion Adopción de la variedad de berenjena C015 (Solanum melongena L.) en la región Caribe colombiana: measuring adoption |url=https://revistas.uptc.edu.co/index.php/ciencia_agricultura/article/view/11062 |journal=Ciencia y Agricultura |language=es |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.19053/01228420.v17.n3.2020.11062 |issn=2539-0899 |s2cid=225303476 |doi-access=free}}</ref> * ''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

===Notable species not otherwise placed=== {{hatnote|Species in this list may have been placed into a taxonomic section or subgenus by some work not cited here. Please move the species accordingly if that happens.}} [[File:Solanum furcatum I.JPG|thumb|right|Forked nightshade (''S. furcatum'')]] [[File:Solanum umbelliferum Bluewitch.jpg|thumb|right|Bluewitch nightshade (''S. umbelliferum'') flowers]] * ''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 etuberosum'' – representative member of a clade that gave rise to the potatoes (petota clade) by hybridization with a member of the tomato clade<ref name=Zhang25/> * ''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=== [[File:Lycianthes rantonnei.jpg|thumb|right|''Lycianthes rantonnetii'' and its congeners were often placed in ''Solanum.'']] 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 ''S. chrysophyllum'', ''S. ciliatum'' Blume ex Miq., ''S. corniculatum'' Hiern, ''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''.

== Phylogeny == The following phylogeny of Solanaceae is from Zhang et al. (2025) figure 1B. It is based on a consensus of 500 trees randomly sampled from 1-Mb genomic windows with 200-kb step size.<ref name=Zhang25>{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Zhiyang |last2=Zhang |first2=Pingxian |last3=Ding |first3=Yiyuan |last4=Wang |first4=Zefu |last5=Ma |first5=Zhaoxu |last6=Gagnon |first6=Edeline |last7=Jia |first7=Yuxin |last8=Cheng |first8=Lin |last9=Bao |first9=Zhigui |last10=Liu |first10=Zinan |last11=Wu |first11=Yaoyao |last12=Hu |first12=Yong |last13=Lian |first13=Qun |last14=Lin |first14=Weichao |last15=Wang |first15=Nan |last16=Ye |first16=Keyi |last17=Wang |first17=Hongru |last18=Zhang |first18=Jinzhe |last19=Zhou |first19=Yongfeng |last20=Liu |first20=Liang |last21=Li |first21=Suhua |last22=Lucas |first22=William J. |last23=Särkinen |first23=Tiina |last24=Knapp |first24=Sandra |last25=Rieseberg |first25=Loren H. |last26=Liu |first26=Jianquan |last27=Huang |first27=Sanwen |title=Ancient hybridization underlies tuberization and radiation of the potato lineage |journal=Cell |date=July 2025 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.034|doi-access=free}}</ref>

{{clade |2={{clade|''Lycium''|''Nicotiana''}} |1={{clade |2={{clade|''Datura''|''Nicandra''}} |1={{clade |2={{clade|{{clade|''Lycianthes''|''Physalis''}}|''Jaltomata''}} |label1=''Solanum'' |1={{clade |grouplabel1=Grade I |bar1=red |1={{clade |2={{clade|Moreilloid ("Maurella", "Morella")|Dulcamaroid}} |1={{clade |2=Basarthrum |1={{clade |2=Anarrhicomenum |1={{clade|1=Tomato (= sect. ''Lycopersicon'')|3=Etuberosum|2=Petota (Tomato × Etuberosum)}} }} }} }} |grouplabel2=Clade II |bar2=green |2={{clade |1={{clade|Brevantherum|Geminata}} |grouplabel2="Spiny" (≈ subgen. ''Leptostemonum'') |bar2=blue |2={{clade |2={{Clade|Androceras|Eastern Hemisphere Spiny}} |1={{Clade |1={{clade|Crinitum|Sisymbriifolium}} |2={{clade|Acanthophora|Lasiocarpa}} }} }} }} }}}}}}}}

The non-italicized names inside of ''Solanum'' refer to the major clade names within ''Solanum''. These names usually include the similarly-named section but do not have taxonomic standing.<ref name=Zhang25/>

==Ecology== {{unref section|date=March 2026}}''Solanum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=del Campo C. |first=Marta L. |last2=Renwick |first2=J. Alan A. |date=8 October 2003 |title=Dependence on host constituents controlling food acceptance by Manduca sexta larvae |url=https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1570-7458.1999.00580.x |journal=Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata |volume=93 |issue=2 |pages=209-215}}</ref>

==Toxicity== {{See also|Steroidal alkaloid#Solanum alkaloids|Solanine|Chaconine|Tomatine}} Most parts of the plants,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Archived TJM 1993 treatment for ''Solanum douglasii'' |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment?7625,7682,7687 |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=ucjeps.berkeley.edu}}</ref> 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, 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,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/purple-tomato-debuts-indigo-rose |title=Purple tomato debuts as 'Indigo Rose' | work = Extension Service |publisher= Oregon state university |date= 2012-01-27|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> Kauai, Lanai, Marion, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, Oahu, Owyhee, Parma, Payette, Red Lode, Super Star, Surecrop, Tuckers Forcing, V 121, Vantage, Vetomold, and Waltham.)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/ |title= Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions for North America {{pipe}} Cucurbit Breeding |publisher= NCSU |access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> * 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 (''S. aethiopicum''), naranjilla or lulo (''S. quitoense''), cocona (''S. sessiliflorum''), turkey berry (''S. torvum''), pepino or pepino melon (''S. muricatum''), tamarillo (''S. betaceum''), wolf apple (''S. lycocarpum''), garden huckleberry (''S. scabrum'') and "bush tomatoes" (several Australian species).

=== Ornamentals === The species most widely seen in cultivation as ornamental plants are: * ''Solanum aviculare'' {{au|G.Forst.}} - (kangaroo apple) * ''Solanum crispum'' {{au|Ruiz & Pav.}} - (Chilean potato tree) * ''Solanum laciniatum'' {{au|Aiton}} - (kangaroo apple) * ''Solanum laxum'' {{au|Spreng.}} - (potato vine) * ''Solanum mammosum'' {{au|L.}} - (Nipplefruit, titty fruit, cow's udder, apple of Sodom) * ''Solanum pseudocapsicum'' {{au|L.}} - (Christmas cherry, winter cherry) * ''Solanum seaforthianum'' {{au|Andrews}} - (Italian jasmine, St. Vincent lilac) * ''Solanum mauritianum'' {{au|Scop.}} - (woolly nightshade, earleaf nightshade) * ''Solanum wendlandii'' {{au|Hook.f.}} - (paradise flower, potato vine)<ref name=RHSAZ>{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|page=1136}}</ref>

===Medicine=== {{unref section|date=March 2026}}Several species are locally used in folk medicine, particularly by native people who have long employed them.

==References== {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == Updated taxonomic treatments not yet integrated: {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last1=Aubriot |first1=Xavier |last2=Knapp |first2=Sandra |title=A revision of the 'spiny solanums' of Tropical Asia (Solanum, the Leptostemonum Clade, Solanaceae) |journal=PhytoKeys |date=1 June 2022 |volume=198 |pages=1–270 |doi=10.3897/phytokeys.198.79514 |doi-access=free|pmc=9849010 }} – subgen. ''Leptostemonum'' * {{cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=Sandra |title=A revision of the Dulcamaroid Clade of ''Solanum'' L. (Solanaceae) |journal=PhytoKeys |date=10 May 2013 |volume=22 |issue=0 |pages=1–428 |doi=10.3897/phytokeys.22.4041 |doi-access=free|pmc=3689140 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=Sandra |last2=Särkinen |first2=Tiina |last3=Barboza |first3=Gloria E. |title=A revision of the South American species of the Morelloid clade (Solanum L., Solanaceae) |journal=PhytoKeys |date=29 August 2023 |volume=231 |pages=1–342 |doi=10.3897/phytokeys.231.100894 |doi-access=free|pmc=10481398 }} – last article in a three-part series of monographic treatments of the morelloid clade {{refend}}

General references: {{refbegin}} {{refend}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Wikispecies-inline}} {{AfricanPlants|Solanum}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130927000543/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57604828/meet-the-tomtato-tomatoes-and-potatoes-grown-as-one/ Meet the TomTato: Tomatoes and potatoes grown as one – CBS News] (September 26, 2013)

Category:Solanum Category:Solanaceae genera Category:Medicinal plants