7407.000 Solanum L. - Nightshades

LYCOPERSICON Mill.

Bikandu, B., Lukoki, F., Habari, J.P., Ntore, S. & Sosef, M.S.M. (2020) Solanaceae Flore d'Afrique Centrale Nouvelle Serie Jardin Botanique Meise, Belgique

Description of the genus

Herbs, shrubs, climbers or trees, unarmed or spiny, often stellate-hairy. Stipules 0, but Solanum mauritianum has prominent pseudostipules. Leaves alternate, entire, lobed to pinnatisect or pinnate. Inflorescences often extra-axillary, mostly racemose or umbellate cymes or terminal panicles. Calyx (4-)5-10-toothed or lobed, not or only slightly enlarging in fruit. Corolla often rotate, (4-)5(-6)-lobed, white, yellow, blue or purple. Filaments shorter than anthers; anthers often connivent, dehiscing by apical pores, Ovary 2(-4)-locular. Fruit a ± spherical berry.

Derivation of name: Ex Latin; solamen, quieting, alluding to the sedative properties

Worldwide: 1700 species, more or less cosmopolitan, especially in warm countries

Zambia: 8 cultivated taxa.

Insects associated with this genus:
Acherontia atropos (Death's head hawk) Food plant
Antigastra catalaunalis (Red-veined pearl) Larval food plant
Solanum lycopersicum

Links to cultivated taxa    View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesContent
aethiopicum L.Description
betaceum Cav.Description, Image
lycopersicum L.Description, Image
melongena L.
muricatum Aiton
scabrum Mill. Description
wendlandii Hook. f.Description
wrightii Benth.

Other sources of information about Solanum:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Solanum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Solanum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Solanum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Solanum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Solanum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Solanum
JSTOR Plant Science: Solanum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Solanum
Plants of the World Online: Solanum
Tropicos: Solanum
Wikipedia: Solanum

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-26

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2026). Flora of Zambia: Cultivated plants: Genus page: Solanum.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/cult/genus.php?genus_id=1249, retrieved 3 July 2026

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