Asterids III – the end of the eudicots

Solanaceae

Apiaceae

Phylogeny

Solanaceae – Nightshade Family

• Flowers in 5’s (except carpel)• United sepals and petals• Connivent anthers• Alternate leaves• Spiral leaves• Fruit a berry, drupe, or capsule• Plicate corolla• Cymes or solitary infloresence• Mostly herbs in Colorado

Floral Formula - Solanaceae

Solanaceae - Distribution

Pliate Flowers

Solanaceae

Solanaceae

Solanaceae

Economic Importance• Edible plants, such as Capsicum (peppers),

Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Physalis philadelphica (tomatillo), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Solanum melongena (eggplant)

• Medicinal properties (e.g., atropine from Atropa belladona), hallucinogenic properties (e.g., Datura, Jimson weed), all alkaloids

• Deadly poisons (e.g., Datura, Solanum spp.) • Carcinogens (e.g., Nicotiana tabacum); some

used as ornamental cultivars, others are noxious weeds

Capsicum annuum

Capsaicin • Methyl vanillyl nonenamide• Used topically as a pain reliever• Some indications as an injected drug for

osteoarthritis relief• Very bad to get in the eyes• Birds are not effected• Black pepper is a whole different family• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?s

toryId=93636630

Capsaicin

Assorted members of Capsicum

A. Bell PepperB. Hungarian Hot WaxC. HabaneroD. JalapeñoE. CayenneF. Serrano

Lycopersicon esculentum

Physalis philadelphica (tomatillo)

Solanum tuberosum

Potato Tubers – Underground Stems

Solanum melongena - eggplant

Atropa belladonna

Datura wrightii

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VJX-3WCYDW6-9&_user=1922016&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000055361&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1922016&md5=482b3d93eb7aa37d00d618c41a046f6b

Nicotiana tobacum

Angel's Trumpets (Brugmansia)

Apiaceae – Carrot or Parsley Family• Old name was umbelliferae, because

infloresence for this family is usually an umbel

• Compound umbels

• Usually hollow flower stalks

• Herbaceous in our area

• Sheathing, pinnately compound leaves

• Fruit is a schizocarp of mericarps

Apiaceae

Sheathing leaves

Infloresence a compound umbel

Pinnately compound leaves

Schizocarp fruit

Schizocarp of mericarps

Apiaceae – Biennial plants

• Biennials, like carrots

• Produce leaves and an underground root the first year,

• Flower, set seed, and die during the second year

Economic members - Apiaceae

• Food, herb, and spice plants, such as Anethum, dill; Apium, celery; Carum, caraway; Coriandrum, coriander; Cuminum, cumin; Daucus, carrot; Foeniculum, fennel; and Petroselinum, parsely;

• Some species are poisonous, such as Conium maculatum, poison-hemlock;

Daucus carrota – cultivated carrot aka Queen Anne’s Lace

Coriander seeds or plants as cillantro = (Coriandrum sativum)

Foeniculum vulgare - fennel

Celery and celery root - Apium graveolens

Azorella compacta - LLareta

A. compacta