| Withania | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Withania somnifera | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Subfamily: | Solanoideae |
| Tribe: | Physaleae |
| Genus: | Withania Pauquy (1825), nom. cons. |
| Species | |
19; see text | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Withania is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, with 19 [1] to 23 species that are native to parts of North Africa, western Asia, south Asia, southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands. [2] [3] Withania was initially included within Physalis by Linnaeus in 1753 but has since become its own genus. [4] This grouping was due to the shared feature of an inflated calyx that surrounds and protects the fruit.
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Two of the species, W. somnifera (ashwagandha) and W. coagulans (ashutosh booti), are economically significant, and are cultivated in several regions for their medicinal uses. [2]
