any tree, shrub, or herbaceous plant of the mainly tropical solanaceous genus Solanum: includes the potato, aubergine, and certain nightshades
Word origin
C16: from Latin: nightshade
solanum in American English
(soʊˈleɪnəm)
noun
any of a large genus (Solanum) of trees, vines, shrubs, and plants of the nightshade family: most are poisonous, but a few are cultivated for food, as the potato and eggplant