Taxon: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Summary

Genus:

Withania

Family:

Solanaceae

Subfamily:

Solanoideae

Tribe:

Physaleae

Subtribe:

Withaninae

Nomen number:

102407

Place of publication:

A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1):453. 1852

Verified:

11/07/1985 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

4 (1 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Physalis somnifera L.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Anjaria, J. V. 1989. Herbal Drugs: Potential for industry and cash. In: G. E. Wickens et al., New crops for food and industry. In: Wickens, G. E. et al., eds., New crops for food and industry 91.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Arechavaleta, M. et al., eds. 2005. Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Babu, C. R. 1977. Herbaceous flora of Dehra Dun.
Chatterjee, S. et al. 2010. Comprehensive metabolic fingerprinting of Withania somnifera leaf and root extracts. Phytochemistry 71:1085-1094. DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2010.04.001.
Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Meikle, R. D. 1977-1985. Flora of Cyprus.
Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	winter-cherry	1	Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
India	ashwagandha	2	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Swedish	withania	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Cabo Verde			Arechavaleta, M. et al., eds. 2005. Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Spain	Canarias		Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Chad
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Eritrea
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Algeria
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Egypt
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Libya
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Tunisia
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Eswatini			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Lesotho			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia			Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Cape Province		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Free State		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Transvaal		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Oman			Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Saudi Arabia			Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen			Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Afghanistan			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iran		s.	Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iraq			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Israel			Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Jordan			Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Lebanon			Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Syria			Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Turkey			Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Greece		incl. Crete	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Italy	Sardegna		Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Italy	Sicilia		Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1	Native	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain		incl. Baleares	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized					natzd. elsewhere

Native
Africa

MACARONESIA: Cabo Verde, Spain [Canarias]
NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Chad
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Liberia, Mali, Nigeria
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Transvaal]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Mauritius

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Iran (s.), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

Europe

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Greece (incl. Crete), Italy [Sicilia, Sardegna]
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares)

Naturalized (natzd. elsewhere)

Reference(s)

Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Arechavaleta, M. et al., eds. 2005. Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Medicines	folklore	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Medicines	folklore	Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Medicines	folklore	Chatterjee, S. et al. 2010. Comprehensive metabolic fingerprinting of Withania somnifera leaf and root extracts. Phytochemistry 71:1085-1094. DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2010.04.001.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=102407. Accessed 17 April 2026.