Solanaceae

The Solanaceae family is composed of herbaceous dicotyledonous plants, shrubs, trees or lianas, rather cosmopolitan is present everywhere in the world with the exception of Antarctica. But it is in South America and Central America that we find the greatest number of species, especially food species, such as:

• the tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), native to northwestern South America, is widely grown for its fruit, and eaten raw or cooked. It is grown in the open field or under cover in almost all latitudes; it is a plant with indeterminate growth, but there are varieties with determinate growth;
• ( eggplant ( Solanum melongena ) native to the Old World and two other eggplants grown in Africa, eggplant African or gilo Solanum aethiopicum ) (native to West Africa), and gboma ( Solanum macrocarpon );
• : peppers (peppers, paprika and red peppers), with four important domesticated and cultivated species
  • Capsicum annuum grouping peppers and peppers originating from the region going from Colombia to the south of the United States;
  • Capsicum baccatum , pepper cultivated for its fruit with a particularly pungent flavor;
  • Capsicum chinense , The habanero pepper native to Mexico, also very spicy, is called West Indian pepper or cabri pepper in Reunion;
  • Capsicum pubescens , the rocoto whose fruits are very hot peppers.
• potato , edible tuber produced by the species Solanum tuberosum native to the Andes Mountains in southwestern South America.