THE PURPLE PEOPLE EAT
The eggplant’s closest relatives are tomato, capsicum and potato. Despite differences in appearance between these popular vegies, all are part of the Solanaceae family.
This family relationship lies in the flowers, which all share a similar shape even though flower colour varies from yellow for tomato to blue or white for potato. Eggplant produces clusters of violet-coloured flowers.
Identifying the plant family a vegetable belongs to is important for managing crop rotation and also to recognise what they have in common, such as growing needs and pests and diseases.
