Baingan / Asian Eggplant
Solanum melongena var. melongena
Also known as Brinjal, Egg Plant, Jew's Apple, Tropical Eggplant
- Habit
- Shrub
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Solanum melongena var. melongena
- Genus
- Solanum
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Widely cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Distribution
- Tropics of the World
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Solanaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Solanaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बैंगन Baingan, बंग Bang, भण्टा Bhanta
- Nepali
- बैगुन Baigun, भण्टा Bhantaa, भान्टा
- Bengali
- বার্তাকু Bartaku, বেগুন Begun, বেগুন
- Tamil
- அச்சத்தி Accatti, காளினியம் Kaliniyam, கத்தரி Kattari
- Telugu
- హింగుది Hingudi, వంగ Vanga, వంకాయ Vankaaya
- Kannada
- ಬದನೆ Badane, ಗುಳ್ಳ Gulla, ಕಾಚಿ Kaachi
- Malayalam
- വഴുതിന Vazhuthina, വഴുതന, എഗ്ഗ് പ്ലാന്റ്
- Marathi
- वांगी Vangi, वांगे
Baingan in India
Brinjal, called बैंगन Baingan (Hindi), அச்சத்தி Accatti (Tamil), హింగుది Hingudi (Telugu), ಬದನೆ Badane (Kannada), വഴുതിന Vazhuthina (Malayalam), वांगी Vangi (Marathi), is one of India's most widely eaten vegetables. Solanum melongena is grown across in a huge range of local shapes, sizes and colours.
Uses
The fruit is cooked in countless everyday preparations — baingan bharta, sambar, curries and stir-fries — and is valued for absorbing the flavours of the spices it's cooked with.
How to Identify Baingan
A bushy annual to short-lived perennial herb, often with a few spines on the stem and leaf veins. Flowers are star-shaped, usually purple, with a prominent central cone of yellow stamens. Fruit shape and colour vary widely by variety — from small round green to long slender purple — with a spiny green calyx cap where it meets the stem.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Asian Eggplant called in different Indian languages?
- बैंगन Baingan (Hindi); அச்சத்தி Accatti (Tamil); హింగుది Hingudi (Telugu); ಬದನೆ Badane (Kannada); വഴുതിന Vazhuthina (Malayalam); वांगी Vangi (Marathi); বার্তাকু Bartaku (Bengali).
- Is brinjal the same as eggplant?
- Yes — brinjal is the common Indian English name for Solanum melongena, called eggplant in American English and aubergine in British English.
- Why does brinjal come in so many shapes in Indian markets?
- India grows an unusually wide range of local brinjal varieties bred for different regional dishes, from small round types for bharta to long slender ones for curries.
Solanaceae
Nightshade/Tomato family
Baingan belongs to the Solanaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Solanaceae
View all Solanaceae →Sources: GBIF — Solanum melongena var. melongena (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Solanum melongena var. melongena (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)