Solanaceae – Potato Family

Plants in the worldwide, but especially tropical Potato Family (Solanaceae) are annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees with alternate, simple or pinnately compound leaves, bisexual, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers with 5 lobes and a superior ovary, and fruit in the form of a berry or capsule. Some members of this family like tomatoes and peppers have edible fruit, while others like nightshades have poisonous fruit.

Listed below are some of the southeastern Arizona plants in this family.

• Calibrachoa parviflora – Seaside Petunia
• Chamaesaracha coronopus – Greenleaf Five Eyes
• Datura discolor – Desert Thorn-apple
• Datura wrightii – Sacred Thorn-apple
• Lycium pallidum – Pale Desert-thorn
• Nicotiana glauca – Tree Tobacco
• Nicotiana obtusifolia – Desert Tobacco
• Physalis acutifolia – Sharpleaf Groundcherry
• Physalis hederifolia – Ivyleaf Groundcherry
• Quincula lobata – Chinese Lantern
• Solanum americanum – American Black Nightshade
• Solanum elaeagnifolium – Silverleaf Nightshade
• Solanum fendleri – Fendler's Horsenettle
• Solanum rostratum – Buffalobur Nightshade