Contents
- 1 What family is the potato in?
- 2 Which plant belongs to Solanaceae?
- 3 What is the scientific name of Solanaceae?
- 4 Is sweet potato actually a potato?
- 5 Is a potato a nightshade?
- 6 Why are nightshades bad for you?
- 7 How did the potato plant get its name?
- 8 What’s the name of the most common type of potato?
What family is the potato in?
Nightshade
Potato/Family
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceace), which also includes many other important crops like peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, tobacco, and more.
Which plant belongs to Solanaceae?
Fruits including tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, bell peppers and chili peppers, all of which are members of the genus Solanum in the Solanaceae….Solanaceae.
| Solanaceae Temporal range: Early Eocene to Recent, 52–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
|---|---|
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
Where does the term nightshade come from?
The origin of the name nightshades is unclear, but could be related to their dark and mystical past. Some nightshades are rumored to have been formerly used as narcotics and hallucinogens. The nightshade family contains over 2,000 varieties of plants, but very few of them are actually eaten as food.
What is the scientific name of Solanaceae?
Solanaceae
Nightshade/Scientific names
Is sweet potato actually a potato?
Myth: A sweet potato is an orange potato. Fact: Even though both the potato and sweet potato originated from Central and South America, they are actually not related. They come from different families, with the potato coming from the nightshade and the sweet potato from the morning glory family.
How does nightshade kill you?
Taken in sufficient doses, the deadly poison paralyzes nerve endings in the involuntary muscles of the body, such as the blood vessels, heart and gastrointestinal muscles. Symptoms of deadly nightshade poisoning include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, headaches, confusion and convulsions.
Is a potato a nightshade?
The Difference Between Nightshade Fruits and Vegetables Peppers and eggplant are also technically nightshade fruits. Vegetables are any other edible part of a plant, like the roots, stems, or leaves. Potatoes are a nightshade vegetable, not a fruit.
Why are nightshades bad for you?
Nightshades contain an alkaloid called solanine, which is toxic in high concentrations. Solanine is found in trace amounts in potatoes and is normally safe, though the leafy stalks of the potato plant and green potatoes are toxic, and solanine poisoning has been reported from eating green potatoes.
What kind of plants are in the Potato Family?
Potato Family. The potato family, Solanaceae, is a family of flowering plants that contains a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants.
How did the potato plant get its name?
Potato Family. The formal name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum ” the nightshade plant “, but the further etymology of that word is unclear. Most likely, the name comes from the perceived resemblance that some of the flowers bear to the sun and its rays, and in fact a species of Solanum ( Solanum nigrum) is known as the sunberry.
What’s the name of the most common type of potato?
Let’s look in more detail at a few of the thousands different kinds of potatoes that you can use for cooking: Russet potatoes (also called Idaho potatoes) are one of the most popular varieties of potatoes. These starchy potato types are fairly large and have an oval shape.
What is the meaning of the word potato?
n., pl. -toes. 1. Also called Irish potato , white potato. the edible tuber of a cultivated plant, Solanum tuberosum, of the nightshade family. 2. the plant itself. 3. sweet potato (defs. 1, 2). Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. 1.