Sola num. 



SOLANACEAE 



Sol aiium 



late lvs. and perfect regular 5-merous cymose fls. ; corolla valvate or plicate in the bud; 

 fertile stamens 5 (or 4), sometimes joined together by their anthers; ovary 2-ccllcd, 

 sometimes appearing 4-cellcd because of a false septum: j'r. a berry or capsule: contains 

 many poisonous plants. 85 genera with over 2,200 species, in tropical and temperate 

 regions; 10 genera and 60 species in China. 



Key to the Genera 



A. Fr. a fleshy or leathery berry. 



B. Plants herbaceous (some Capsicum are woody at the base). 



C. Frtg. calyx not bladdery or much inflated. 



Fr. a fleshy berry. 

 Lvs. simple (except S. tuberosum); margins entire, 

 lobed or cleft: anthers opening mostly near the 



tip 1 . Solarium. 



Lvs. pinnately compound: anthers opening from top 



to bottom 2 . Lycopersicon 



Ft . a leathery berry, not fleshy within 3. Capsicum 



CC. Frtg. calyx bladdery, inflated in fr 4. Physalis 



BB. Plants shrubby (most Capsicum are herbaceous). 



D. Plants thorny 5. Lycium 



DD. Plants without thorns. 



Corolla rotate or shallowly campanulate. 



Fr. a leathery berry, not fleshy or pulpy 3. Capsicum 



Fr. a fleshy or pulpy berry 1 . Solanum 



Corolla salverform, with a long tube: f i . a small berry, 



scarcely fleshy 6. Cesbrum 



AA. Fr. a capsule. 



E. Capsule prickly or spiny: fls. very large, 10-15 cm. long 7. Datura 



EE. Capsule smooth: fls. smaller, up to 5cm. long. 



Stamens equal, not in prs. : lvs. large, up to 3 dm. long 8. Nicotiana 



Stamens unequal, 4 of them in prs., the 5th smaller: lvs. 

 smaller, not over 3 cm. long. 



Stamens attached at the top of the corolla tube 9. Nierembergia 



Stamens attached at the middle of the corolla tube 10. Petunia 



1. Solanum Linn. Nightshade j$pi| (Ch'ieh Shu) 



Herbs or shrubs, often climbing, sometimes trees, occasionally spiny, often stellate- 

 pubescent, with simple or compound lvs.: corolla rotate or shallowly campanulate; 

 stamens 4, the anthers united into a cone, opening mostly near the tip: fr. a fleshy 

 berry: one of the largest of plant genera. 1200 species, tropical and subtropical regions; 

 15 in China. (An old Latin name, probably from solari, to quiet; referring to medici- 

 nal properties.) 



Key to the Species 



a. Lvs. simple: plants without fleshy stem tubers, 

 b. Plants armed. 



Plants armed with straight bristles. 

 Fr. glabrous: lvs. and stems hairy when young, be- 

 coming glabrous, except for spines, at maturity . . 

 Fr., stems and lvs. brown-tomentose: spines fewer and 



shorter than in the preceding species 2 



Plants armed with more or less recurved prickles on stems. 



1 . S. acid eat issim um 



S. ferox 



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