Question

Which of the following belongs to the Solanaceae family?

• A. Potato, Tomato, Brinjal
• B. Wheat, Rice, Maize
• C. Rose, Apple, Pear
• D. Pea, Gram, Soybean

Hint:

To memorize the members of the Solanaceae family, use the mnemonic: "PETS are eating Potato, Tomato, and Brinjal".
Here, P = Petunia, E = Eggplant (Brinjal), T = Tobacco, S = Solanum/Sarsaparilla.
This easily covers the major economic crops of Solanaceae.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This question is from Botany, specifically the chapter "Morphology of Flowering Plants" in the NCERT Class 11 curriculum, focusing on the classification and identification of plant families.
We need to determine which group of plants belongs to the family Solanaceae.

Step 2: Key Concept or Approach:
The Solanaceae family, commonly referred to as the "potato family," is a large and economically important family of dicotyledonous plants.
It includes several staple food crops, medicinal plants, and ornamentals. The genus Solanum is a representative genus of this family, comprising potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and brinjal (Solanum melongena).

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

• Let us analyze each of the options to verify their botanical families:
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(A) Potato, Tomato, Brinjal: These belong to the genus Solanum under the family Solanaceae. This family is characterized by an alternate leaf arrangement, actinomorphic bisexual flowers, persistent calyx, swollen placenta, and berry or capsule fruits.
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(B) Wheat, Rice, Maize: These are major cereal crops that belong to the family Poaceae (Gramineae), which are monocotyledonous grasses.
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(C) Rose, Apple, Pear: These are woody perennial plants belonging to the family Rosaceae.
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(D) Pea, Gram, Soybean: These are leguminous plants that belong to the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae), characterized by papilionaceous corolla and marginal placentation.

• Therefore, only the plants listed in option (A) belong to the Solanaceae family.



Step 4: Final Answer:
Potato, Tomato, and Brinjal belong to the Solanaceae family, which corresponds to option (A).