Kingdom Plantae Scientific name Solanoideae Rank Subfamily | Order Solanales Higher classification Nightshade | |
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Lower classifications Solanum, Tomato, Potato, Eggplant, Physalis | ||
Solanoideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Solanaceae, and is sister to the subfamily Nicotianoideae. Within Solanaceae, Solanoideae contains some of the most economically important genera and species, such as the tomato (Solanum lycopersicon), potato (Solanum tuberosum), eggplant or aubergine (Solanum melongena), chili or bell peppers (Capsicum spp.), mandrakes (Mandragora spp.), and jimson weed (Datura stramonium).
This subfamily consists of several well-established tribes: Capsiceae, Datureae, Hyoscyameae, Juanulloeae, Lycieae, Nicandreae, Nolaneae, Physaleae, Solandreae, and Solaneae. The subfamily also contains the contended tribes Mandragoreae and Jaboroseae.
Tribal Relationships
The relationship between the tribes has recently been well described. Nicandreae is the most basal tribe of the family, placing sister to the other 9 (or by some counts 11) tribes. Datureae lies sister to Nicandreae, Physaleae, Capsiceae, and Solaneae. Solaneae + (Physaleae + Capsiceae) form a well-supported monophyletic group, but the exact branching within the clade remains unclear.