Lecture 7: Solanaceae

Question 1

What are the herbs, flower, corolla and fruit characteristics of solanaceae?

Answer 1

Herbs (usually)

Flowers actinomorphic and bisexual; 5-merous

Corolla: 5 petals, fused; variable:
rotate, campanulate (pepper), funnelform

Fruit: berry or capsule

Question 2

The entire family is characterized by content of various ______; therefore, they are commonly poisonous plants.

Answer 2

Alkaloids

Question 3

In tomato, the corollas ____ and are ____ while the berries are _____.

Answer 3

rotate, yellow (to red), full

Question 4

What are the two hypotheses about the domestication of the tomato?

Answer 4

In the Andes, tomatoes were cultivated by the Inca in a region that now includes Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

It is not clear if it was introduced into Mesoamerica and Mexico or if it was domesticated independently by the Aztecs.

Question 5

True or False: Tomatoes were introduced to Europe in the 16th century where they were first cultivated as a curiosity

Answer 5

True

Question 6

Tomatoes are better known today as a part of the ______ culture more broadly

Answer 6

Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean

Question 7

Italian food cannot exist without tomatoes

Answer 7

True

Question 8

____ is a a powerful flavonoid antioxidant, is present in great amounts the tomatoes (especially in red cultivars).

Answer 8

Lycopene

Question 9

______ helps protect eyes from “age-related macular disease” (ARMD) in the elderly persons by filtering harmful ultra-violet rays.

Answer 9

Zea-xanthin

Question 10

Fresh tomato is rich in what 3 vitamins?

Answer 10

A, C, K

Question 11

____ is the most important food crop worldwide after cereals.

Answer 11

Potato

Question 12

In potatoes, the corolla is ____ with ____ or _____ flowers

Answer 12

Rotate, white or purple

Question 13

When and where was the potato domesticated?

Answer 13

Potato was domesticated in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia by the Incas ca. 8000 y.a.

Question 14

When was the potato introduced into Europe?

Answer 14

Introduced at the end of 1500s in Spain then spread slowly in the rest of Europe.

Question 15

What was the bacteria that affected potatoes during the famine?

Answer 15

Phytophtora infestans

Potato blight

Question 16

When were potatoes introduced to NA?

Answer 16

Potato introduced to N America by the colonists in 1620s in Bermuda and in 1700s on the mainland.

Question 17

True or False: The first permanent potato patches in North America were established in 1719, most likely near Londonderry (Derry), NH, by Scotch-Irish immigrants

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Where was the eggplant domesticated?

Answer 18

India, China, Thailand, Burma but the exact time is unknown. It was introduced in Europe after 1500s

Question 19

In peppers, the corolla is _____ and the fruit is a _____ that is partially empty.

Answer 19

Campanulate, berry

Question 20

When and where was the pepper domesticated

Answer 20

domesticated in Mexico ca. 8000-9000 ya. Based on fossil starch dated ca. 6000 ya, peppers were also cultivated in Peru, Ecuador, Central America and Caribbean.

Question 21

Where is capsaicin present?

Answer 21

placental tissue

Question 22

Exam question:Tomato and Potato have something in Common

Answer 22

Answer: D, They have the same type of fruit: a berry

Question 23

Exam Question: One of the following is incorrect about peppers

Answer 23

Answer: A, Evolution of the pepper is related to seed dispersal by ants