The nightshades, family Solanaceae, are a diverse group of flowering plants within the order Solanales, encompassing approximately 90–100 genera and 2,500–3,000 species, including both herbaceous and woody forms. Members are characterized by typically alternate leaves, actinomorphic pentamerous flowers, and a superior ovary usually forming berries or capsules. Chemically, Solanaceae are notable for producing a variety of alkaloids, such as tropane, steroidal glycoalkaloids, and nicotine, which often have potent neuroactive or toxic properties. The family includes important model organisms and crops (e.g., Solanum, Capsicum, Nicotiana) widely used in plant genetics, physiology, and metabolic pathway research.
Plants are a rich and renewable source of compounds used in medicines, food ingredients, and cosmetics. Since growing an entire plant just to extract a few specific compounds is rather inefficient, scientists are turning ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 4, 2026
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In the plant world, when two different species mate, their offspring often don't survive. The reason lies in their DNA: incompatible genes often mix in their offspring, triggering a fatal breakdown known as hybrid lethality ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 4, 2026
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Slippery, drippy goop makes Ralstonia bacteria devastating killers of plants, causing rapid wilting in tomato, potato, and a wide range of other crops, according to new research. The work, published Jan. 22 in Proceedings ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 23, 2026
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Plant viruses pose a serious and ongoing threat to global agriculture in tropical to temperate regions. Among the most damaging are begomoviruses, a group of DNA viruses spread by whiteflies that infect many important food ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 9, 2026
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