Question

Family of Atropa belladonna is _____________
(a)Malvaceae
(b)Solanaceae
(c)Brassicaceae
(d)Liliaceae

Answer 1

Hint: Atropa belladonna belongs to the family in which most of the plants are edible. The family is also informally known as the nightshade family.

Complete step-by-step answer:
 Atropa belladonna commonly known as deadly nightshade belongs to the Potato family which is called Solanaceae. The toxins obtained from this plant cause delirium and hallucination and are of great pharmaceutical importance.
Belladonna has been used in herbal medicines for centuries. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic and contain alkaloids. The alkaloid is obtained from roots and is used as a sedative stimulant and antispasmodic.

Additional Information:
 Characteristic features of the Nightshade family, Solanaceae are-
-Solanaceae family is a large group of plants composed of more than 2000 species
-Most of the nightshade family members are herbs but some are shrubs or trees.
-Some species are important sources of food like tomatoes, chili, potatoes, and brinjal.
-Several Solanaceae species have been used medicinally for thousands of years because of their
 narcotic and poisoning characteristic like tobacco and belladonna
-The plants have simple and alternating leaves and are often hairy in texture and may have a strong odor.
So, the correct answer is, “Solanaceae.”

Note: It contains atropine alkaloid which is used for dilating the pupil, belladonna is being used as a muscle relaxer, anti-inflammatory, pain reliever and to treat peptic ulcer disease, menstrual problems, and motion sickness. It is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, and some parts of the United States and Canada. Belladonna drug was used as a poison, and early humans made poisonous arrows from the plant.