Page 29 - Lesson Notes-Morphologyof flowering plant

Economic: Importance with Examples
Plants belonging to the family-Solanaceae has their importance in the following
fields
(i) Food The family-Solanaceae includes a number of vegetables and spice yielding
plants.
For example., Solanum tuberosum (potato), Solanum melongena (brinjal),
Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Physalis peruviana (ground cherry), Capscicum
annuum (chillies), etc.
(ii) Tobacco Nicotiana tabacum and N. rustica . contain toxic alkaloid nicotine. It is
used for chewing, smoking and snuff.
(iii) Medicines Atropa bellodona is used to obtain Bellodona and atropine. Bellodona
is used for relieving pain and treating cough. Atropine is used for dilating eye pupil.
Datura stramonium is used in asthma. Other medicinal plants are Solanum
xanthocarpum, Withania somnifera, Hyoscymus niger, etc.
Ornamentals The common ornamental plants are Cestrum nocturnum (Rat-ki-Rani),
Petunia hybrida, Physalis peruviana (cape gooseberry), etc.
III. Family—Liliaceae
1. Systematic Position

2. Distribution
The family—Liliaceae (lily family) includes about 250 genera and 3700 species