Solanaceae and Scrophulariaceae- Introduction

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Solanaceae
(Potato or Nightshade family)


Plants of this family are mostly annual (Physalis minima), biennial or perennial herbs (Withania somnifera) sometimes shrubs (Brunfelsia), or trees (Solanum gigantium, S. verbascifolium), rarely vines (Lycium sinensis) or lianas. A family of about 90 genera and 2800 species distributed in both tropical and temperate regions. Central and :South America are the chief centres of distribution where over 40 genera are found. About 15 genera and over 90 species have been reported from India. 
Selected Indian genera are: 
    • Atropa, 
    • Capsicum, 
    • Cestrum, 
    • Datura, 
    • Lycopersicon, 
    • Nicotiana, 
    • Petunia, 
    • Physalis, 
    • Solanum and 
    • Withania. 

Economic Importance

Ornamental plants: Common plants of ornamental value of Solanaceae are
    • Brunfelsia calycina (fragrant flowers)
    • Cestrum diurnum (day jasmine)
    • C. nocturnum (Night jasmine)
    • Hyoscyamus niger (henbane)
    • Nicotiana alata (white flowered)
    • Petunia hybrida (pink flowered)
    • P. violacea (white flowered)
    • Salpiglossis sinuata
    • Schizanthus pinnatus
    • S. retusus
    • Solanum dulcamara (violet flowered)
    • S. jasminoides (white and blue coloured)
    • S. seaforthianum (bluish purple coloured)
Tobacco: 
Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) leaves are dried, made into tobacco, and used universally in cigarette, bidi, cigar, pipes, hukkah as well as for chewing and snuffing. It is also used in medicine as a sedative and antispasmodic. N. rustica is also used for similar purposes.

Food plants:
    • Tubers of Solanum tuberosum (potato) are used throughout the world as a common vegetable and also used for the production of starch, dextrin, several alcohols and some other industrial products.
    • Fruits of Lycopersicon esculentum syn. Solanum lycopersicon are the tomato used as a delicious vegetable and eaten raw.
    • Fruits of Solanum melongena (brinjal) are eaten as vegetable.
    • Chillies or red pepper are the fruits of Capsicum annuum and C. fruitescens.
    • Physalis peruviana (raspberry or cape gooseberry) yield delicious edible fruits.
Medicinal plants:
    • Atropa belladona (Belladona or deadly nightshade) roots yield a powerful alkaloid 'atropine' used in belladona plasters, tinctures etc., for relieving pain and also for dilating pupils of eyes for eye-testing.
    • Datura stramonium (datura) leaves and flowers are source of the drug 'stramonium' used in asthma and its seeds are deadly poisonous.
    • Hyoscyamus niger (henbane) leaves yield the alkaloid hyoscyamine used in treating asthma and whooping cough.
    • Mandragora autumnal roots are used as sedative and hypnotic.
    • Nicotiana tabacum leaves are used as sedative, antispasmodic and also in eradicating animal pests, such as lice.
    • Solanum surratense roots are used in asthma and leaves in  rheumatism.
    • Withania coagulans fruits are used in curing asthma  and liver troubles.
    • Withania somnifera (asgandh) roots are used in curing cough and rheumatism.




Scrophulariaceae
(Snapdragon family)



Mostly herbs or under shrubs, and only a few are big shrubs (some species of Veronica) or trees (Paulownia); several are climbers (Maurandia), and some are saprophytic or parasitic (Hyobanche); Lathrea is a chlorophyll less root parasite while Euphrasia and Pedicularis are semi parasitic.
                 Represented by about 220 genera and 3,500 species, Scrophulariaceae are cosmopolitan in their distribution. About 60 genera and 360 species have been reported from India, chiefly from the Himalayas. The common names of the family (snapdragon, foxglove and figwort family) are because of its genera Antirrhinum (snapdragon), Digitalis (foxglove) and Scrophularia (figwort). 
Selected Indian genera are: 
    • Antirrhinum, 
    • Digitalis, 
    • Linaria, 
    • Lindenbergia, 
    • Malus, 
    • Verbascum and 
    • Veronica.

Economic Importance

Ornamental plants of the family:
    • Angelonia angustifolia
    • Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon)
    • Calceolaria scabiosaefolia (slipperwort)
    • Castilleja (Indian paintbrush)
    • Chelone glabra (turtlehead)
    • Collinsia grandiflora 
    • Digitalis purpurea (foxglove)
    • Linaria vulgaris (toadflax)
    • Mimulus luteus (monkey flower)
    • Nemesia versicolor (Nemesia)
    • Paulownia tomentosa
    • Pedicularis canadensis (housewort)
    • Russelia juncea (coral blow)
    • Torenia asiatica
    • Veronica bungifolia (speedwell)

Medicinal plants of family:

    • Bacon monnieri, used in epilepsy and insanity,
    • Digitalis purpurea, used in congested heart failure,
    • Herpestis cuneifolia, used in rheumatism,
    • Picrorhiza kurroa, used as a laxative and cathratic,
    • Scoparia dulcis, used in fever, cough and bronchitis and
    • Verbascum sinensis, used in dysentry. 










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