Solanaceae is the plant family that includes tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and deadly nightshade.
Solanaceae is commonly called the nightshade family. It contains many economically important crops, including tomato, potato, aubergine, and chilli pepper, as well as tobacco and ornamental plants such as petunia.
The family also includes poisonous species. Deadly nightshade, or Atropa belladonna, contains tropane alkaloids, while some edible relatives contain potentially harmful compounds in particular tissues or at certain stages. This does not make all nightshades poisonous; the family contains a wide range of safe food plants.
Solanaceae is distributed worldwide but is especially diverse in the Americas. Its flowers often have five fused petals, and its fruits are commonly berries or capsules, although those features are not universal diagnostic rules.