The plant known in North America as the eggplant, Solanum melongena, is a species of flowering plant known in French and British English as the aubergine. Also known as the brinjal, brinjal eggplant, melongene, or guinea squash, it is a member of the family Solanaceae. It bears a fruit of the same name, eggplant or aubergine, widely used in cooking, most notably moussaka and ratatouille. As a nightshade (Solanum), it is closely related to both the tomato and the potato.
