Economic Importance of Solanaceae Family
May 13, 2024 | by Bloom Code Studio
- Vegetables: The plants belonging to this family are consumed as vegetables all around the world such as tomato, potato, capsicum, eggplants, etc. Fruits of Solanum melongena, Capsicum annuum, Lycopersicum esculentum, and stem tuber of Solanum tuberosum are used as vegetables.
- Medicines: Plants of this family have many medicinal uses that are used to treat various disorders. Dried leaves, stem and roots of Atropa belladonna yield atropine which is used to relieve pain. The dried leaves and roots of Datura metel are used in treatment of asthma.
- Food: The member of Solanaceae family are used as food. Potato, Tomato, Brinjal, etc. are used as important vegetables. Physalis manima (sun berry) and Physalis peruviana (Cape gooseberry) are cultivated for their acid sweet edible berries.
- Narcotic: The plants of this family such as Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica produce nicotine which is used in tobacco and cigarettes. The poisonous alkaloid stamonine is obtained from Datura stramonium. The seeds and leaves are narcotic and sometimes used for criminal poisoning.
- Condiments: The fruits of Capsicum are used as condiment.
- Ornamental purpose: They are used as ornamental plants to decorate our homes and gardens. Petunica nyctaginifolia, Cestrum diurnum, Cestrum nocturnum and Cestrum elegans are grown in gardens as ornamental plants.
- Others: The economic values of the plants belonging to Solanaceae are limited not only above activities. They can be used to produce industrial products such as ethanol, syrup, dextrin, etc. Some of the plants like Nicotiana tabacum is used as pesticides and insecticides. Also, it can be used in paints and varnishes.
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