ABSTRACT
The plants are of varied form, most abundant in tropical regions, and the family comprises 85 genera and about 1800 species. The leaves are usually alternate; the flowers are mostly regular, except in
Hyoscyamus
; the anthers are connivent, with the pollen sacs apically or longitudinally dehiscent; and the fruits are superior berries or capsules. The plants are usually malodorous. They furnish a number of important economic products, including potato, tomato, eggplant, and tobacco, as well as a number of drugs.
