Editing Eggplant (section)

==Description==
The eggplant is a delicate, tropical [[perennial plant|perennial]] plant often cultivated as a [[Hardiness (plants)|tender or half-hardy]] [[annual plant|annual]] in [[temperate climate]]s. The stem is often [[spine (botany)|spiny]]. The [[flower]]s are white to purple in color, with a five-lobed [[Corolla (flower)|corolla]] and yellow [[stamen]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solanum melongena (eggplant): Go Botany |url=https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/solanum/melongena/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org}}</ref> Some common cultivars have fruit that is egg-shaped, glossy, and purple with white flesh and a spongy, "meaty" texture. Some other cultivars are white and longer in shape. The cut surface of the flesh rapidly turns brown when the fruit is cut open ([[oxidation]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Xiaohui |last2=Zhang |first2=Aidong |last3=Shang |first3=Jing |last4=Zhu |first4=Zongwen |last5=Li |first5=Ye |last6=Wu |first6=Xuexia |last7=Zha |first7=Dingshi |date=2021-03-25 |title=Study on browning mechanism of fresh-cut eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) based on metabolomics, enzymatic assays and gene expression |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=6937 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-86311-1 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=7994816 |pmid=33767263|bibcode=2021NatSR..11.6937L }}</ref>

Eggplant grows {{convert|40|to|150|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} tall,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How To Grow And Care For Eggplant |url=https://www.southernliving.com/garden/growing-eggplant |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Southern Living |language=en}}</ref> with large, coarsely [[lobed]] [[leaf|leaves]] that are {{convert|10|to|20|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|5|to|10|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} broad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solanum melongena (Aubergine, Brinjal, Eggplant, Mad Apple, Raging Apple) {{!}} North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-melongena/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=plants.ces.ncsu.edu}}</ref> Semiwild types can grow much larger, to {{convert|225|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}, with large leaves over {{convert|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|15|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} broad. On wild plants, the fruit is less than {{convert|3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} in diameter<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foraged Eggplant |url=https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Foraged_Eggplant_9786.php |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=specialtyproduce.com |language=en}}</ref>

Botanically classified as a [[berry (botany)|berry]], the fruit contains numerous small, soft, edible [[seed]]s that taste bitter because they contain or are covered in [[nicotine|nicotinoid]] [[alkaloid]]s, like the related [[tobacco]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eggplant |url=https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/eggplant.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |publisher=University of Florida |language=en-us}}</ref>

The eggplant genome has 12 chromosomes.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=A high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly reveals genetics for important traits in eggplant |journal=Horticulture Research |last1=Wei |first1=Q |issue=153 |volume=7 |pages=1–15 |last2=Wang |first2=J |doi=10.1038/s41438-020-00391-0 |year=2020 |orig-date= |language=english |pmc= 7506008|pmid=33024567 |last3=Wang |first3=W |last4=Hu |first4=T |last5=Bao |first5=C |doi-access=free|bibcode=2020HorR....7..153W }}[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41438-020-00391-0.pdf?pdf=button%20sticky PDF]</ref>

{{Multiple image
| total_width = 600
| align = center
| direction = horizontal

|footer = Left to right: a) Closeup of eggplant flower; b) Thorns and leaves of the plant; c) A developing fruit; d) Transversal section of the fruit showcasing the arrangement of seeds; e) Longitudinal section of eggplant. There are almost no seeds at the top but they become plentiful at the bottom. Although the photograph was taken just a few moments after slicing, the flesh of the eggplant has already begun to oxidize.
|image1 = Eggplant Flower in Hong Kong.JPG 
|image2 = Épines sous branches de plante à œufs.jpg
|image3 = An eggplant fruit developing on the plant in Howrah district of West Bengal, India.jpg 
| image4 = Aubergine coupe.jpg 
| image5 = Eggplant-sliced.jpg
}}