Solanum endopogon
Solanum endopogon (in the sense of its autonymic subspecies) is found in the western Amazon basin in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil; the disjunct subspecies guianensis occurs in eastern Brazil and French Guiana. Disturbed areas in tropical rain forest, 100-1000 m in elevation.
Solanum endopogon belongs to the Cyphomandra clade of Solanum along with other species traditionally recognized in sections Pachyphylla and Cyphomandropsis (Bohs, 2005). Within the Cyphomandra clade, S. endopogon belongs to the S. circinatum clade, a well-supported group that includes S. occultum, S. endopogon, S. proteanthum, S. circinatum, S. sibundoyense, S. tegore, and S. tenuisetosum (Bohs, 2007).
Bohs, L. 1994. Cyphomandra (Solanaceae). Flora Neotropica Monograph 63: 1-175. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.
Bohs, L. 2005. Major clades in Solanum based on ndhF sequence data. Pp. 27-49. In: R. C. Keating, V. C. Hollowell & T. B. Croat (eds.), A Festschrift for William G. D’Arcy: A Legacy of a Taxonomist. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
Bohs, L. 2007. Phylogeny of the Cyphomandra clade of the genus Solanum (Solanaceae) based on ITS sequence data. Taxon 56: 1012-1026.
Solanum endopogon is one of the most distinctive species in the Cyphomandra clade, and can be recognized by its obtuse flower buds, long narrow corolla lobes bordered by conspicuous hairs, long narrow anthers, and long slender style strongly dilated at the summit into a broad stigma. The inflorescences are often spectacularly long and sometimes bear small leaflike bracts near the base.
Solanum endopogon closely resembles S. occultum, and both have sympatric distributions in the western part of the Amazon basin. However, S. endopogon, unlike S. occultum, has unbranched or forked inflorescences, obtuse flower buds, very long corolla lobes and anthers, and a very broad stigma. Both S. endopogon subsp. guianense and S. occultum have puberulent fruits.
Two subspecies are recognized within S. endopogon based on their differences in pubescence and disjunct distributions.
1. Branches, petioles, inflorescence axes, and abaxial leaf surfaces glabrous to sparsely and minutely puberulent; fruits glabous; western Amazon … S. endopogon subsp. endopogon
1a. Branches, petioles, inflorescence axes, and abaxial leaf surfaces densely puberulent; fruits puberulent, at least when young; French Guiana and eastern Brazil … S. endopogon subsp. guianense