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From the Foreword: The Solanaceae, also known as the potato or deadly nightshade family, is one of humankind’s most utilized and important plant families. It contains some of the world’s most important food plants, such as the potato, tomato, brinjal, bell and chilli peppers, ground cherries and raspberries. It also includes a suite of deadly toxic plants represented by belladonna, mandrake, Jimson weed, henbane and tobacco. The deadly nightshades are also members of this incredible family.

Rich in potent psychoactive alkaloids, it is a family of plant with a veritable chemical mix of desirable and toxic compounds referred to as the tropane alkaloids. They include nicotine, solanine, capsaicin, atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine chemicals that have been used as healing drugs in small doses, misunderstood or abused as addictive drugs, and employed as pesticides and warfare agents when utilized in toxic doses. Use of several as garden ornamentals species of Petunia, Brugmanisa, Brunfelsia, Cestrum, Datura, Solandra, Lycium, Nocotiana etc. increase the economic importance of the family. Besides, many of the Solanaceae, such as tobacco and petunia, are used as model organism in the investigation of fundamental biological questions at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels. However, of the recorded 98 genera and some 2,700 species of Solanaceae in the world, the genus Solanum alone includes nearly 50% of the total species diversity of the family. In India about 122 species of solanaceae have been reported to occur and of these 49 species belong to the genus Solanum.

Contents: Introduction. 1. Taxonomic history of the genus solanum L. 2. Diversity of solanum in India. 3. Economic important of the genus. 4. The present study. 5. Solanum L. 6. Systematic treatment. 7. Key to the species of solanum. 8. Enumeration of species. 9. Solanum americanum Mill. Var. americanum. 10. Solanum americanum Mill. var. odishense Kalidass and Murugan. 11. Solanum diphyllum L. 12. Solanum erianthum D. Don. 13. Solanum pseudocapsicum L. 14. Solanum pubescens willd. 15. Solanum seaforthianum Andrews. 16. Solanum Villosum Mill. 17. Solanum nigrum….References.