The Solanaceae is a
family of
flowering plants, many of which are edible, while others are
poisonous (some have both edible and toxic parts). The name of the family comes from the
Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear; it has been suggested it originates from the Latin
verb solari, meaning "to soothe". This would presumably refer to alleged soothing
pharmacological properties of some of the
psychoactive species found in the family. It is more likely, however, that the name comes from the perceived resemblance that some of the flowers bear to the sun and its rays, and in fact a species of Solanum (Solanum nigrum) is known as the sunberry. The family is also informally known as the nightshade or
potato family. The family includes the
Datura or
Jimson weed,
eggplant,
mandrake,
deadly nightshade or belladonna,
capsicum (
paprika,
chile pepper),
potato,
tobacco,
tomato, and
petunia. The Solanaceae family is characteristically
ethnobotanical, that is, extensively utilized by humans. It is an important source of
food,
spice and
medicine. However, Solanaceae species are often rich in
alkaloids that can range in their
toxicity to humans and animals from mildly irritating to fatal in small quantities.
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