A data matrix was compiled to include 61 characters of gross morphology indumentums and stem anatomy recorded comparatively for a cosmopolitan sample of 75 species belonging to 22 genera of the Solanaceae. It was subjected to numerical analysis under the 40 possible combinations of five distance measures (Jaccard, Sørensen, Relative Sørensen, Euclidean and Relative Euclidean) and eight clustering methods (Nearest Neighbour, Farthest Neighbour, Median, Group Average, Centroid, Ward, Flexible Beta and McQuitty) included in the PC-ord version 5 set of computer program were short-listed to four with the lowest % chaining. With re-allocation of two clearly misplaced species, two of these dendrograms became identical at the five-group level. Two major groups viz. A is divisible into groups C and D, whereas group B (comprising only group 5) included only Lycopersicon and Solanum. Group D (including only group 4) consisted of the three 'large-flowered' genera Brugmansia, Datura and Solandra. Group C was split into groups E and F, with the latter (or group 3) incorporating Nicotiana, Hyoscyamus, Nicandra, Petunia and Schizanthus. Group E was divided into group 1 (with Atropa, Salpichroa, Capsicum. Discopodium, Iochroma, Lycianthes, Withania and Physalis), and group 2 (with Brunfelsia, Cestrum, Lycium and Nierembergia). The data matrix was re-arranged according to this scheme to extract diagnoses of groups A and B and the subordinate groups of group A. Comparison between this informal arrangement of genera and other phonetic classifications revealed that groups 1, 4 and 5 (with x=12) include only genera from D'Arcy's (1979 and 1991) Solanoideae, whereas representatives of his Cestroideae are confined to groups 2 and 3. Similarly, another comparison showed that groups 1-5 bear some resemblance to the seven subfamilies and their tribes and sub-tribes in that classification. In agreement with traditional classifications and contrary to phylogenetic assertions. Lycopersicon and Solanum seem better treated as two distinct genera.