Solanum limoncochaense [Tepe ]

Solanum limoncochaense

Citation author:

Tepe

Citation:

J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 3: 516. 2009.

Type:

ECUADOR. Sucumbíos: Limoncocha, Reserva Biológica Limoncocha, in wet primary forest near NW corner of lake, 250 m, 22 Jan 2009 (fl, fr), E.J. Tepe & S. Stern 2627 (holotype: QCA!; isotypes: BM!, MO!, MU! [MU–272379], NY! [NY01163478], QCNE!, US!, UT!).

Last edited by:

Eric J. Tepe and Lynn Bohs

Written by:

Eric J. Tepe and Lynn Bohs

Habit:

Herbaceous vine, terrestrial or climbing to ca. 1 m from ground. Stems slender, glabrous.

Sympodial structure:

Sympodial units plurifoliate.

Leaves:

Leaves simple, the blades 3.5–7 x 3.5–8 cm, slightly wider than long, rounded, somewhat fleshy, moderately sand-punctate, glabrous; venation palmate with 5(–7) primary veins, these sparsely sand-punctate; base cordate; margins entire, slightly revolute on some leaves; apex rounded to obtuse to shortly acuminate; petioles 3–16 cm, moderately sand-punctate, glabrous. Internodes 2.5–20 cm.

Inflorescences:

Inflorescences 4–8 cm long, unbranched, extra-axillary, with 2–3 flowers, the axes glabrous; peduncle 1.3–4.5 cm, slender; rachis 0.9–1.5 cm; pedicels 15–25 mm in flower, 25–30 mm in fruit, slender, glabrous, spaced ca. 15 mm apart.

Flowers:

Flowers 5-merous, all perfect. Calyx 2.5–4.2 mm long, the tube 1–1.5 mm long, the lobes 1.5–2 x ca. 1.2 mm, rounded, acuminate at tips, glabrous to sparsely pubescent abaxially, densely pubescent adaxially, purplish; fruiting calyx very slightly accrescent, the lobes 1–1.2 x 1.5–2 mm, truncate-acuminate. Corolla 1–1.6 cm in diameter, 5–8 mm long, stellate, membranous, white, the tube 1.5–2 mm, the lobes 6-10 x 1.5–3 mm, lanceolate, narrowly acute at tips, the apex papillose adaxially and abaxially, the margins ciliate apically. Stamens with filaments ca. 1 mm, glabrous; anthers 2–2.5 x ca. 1 mm. Ovary sparsely papillose; style 2–2.5 x ca. 0.3 mm, straight, cylindrical, stout, sparsely papillose in lower half; stigma capitate, somewhat 2-lobed.

Fruits:

Fruit a berry, 1–3 x 0.6–3.2 cm, ovoid-rhomboid, flattened, the apex truncate to emarginate, greenish-brown to purplish near apex when immature, bronze-brown when mature, sparsely pubescent with hairs < 0.1 mm to glabrous when mature, strongly fragrant with a sweet, heavy scent, very juicy, the flavor sweet.

Seeds:

Seeds 2–2.5 mm in diameter, lenticular, light reddish-brown, the surface minutely rugose.

Chromosome number:

Not known.

Distribution:

Solanum limoncochaense appears to be endemic to Sucumbíos Provinces (historically part of Napo Province), Ecuador, near the Laguna de Limoncocha, where it grows in terra firme primary forests and clearings; 240–300 m in elevation

Phenology:

Flowering specimens have been collected in Jan, Jun, Sep, and Oct; fruiting specimens have been collected in Jan and Jun.

Phylogeny:

Solanum limoncochaenseis a member of section Herpystichum (Tepe & Bohs 2011) of the Potato Clade (sensu Särkinen et al. 2013).

Commentary:

Solanum limoncochaense is one of the ground-trailing species and can easily be recognized by its simple, palmately veined leaves, glabrous vegetative parts, and stellate flowers. It is most similar to the Colombian S. dalibardiforme, which is pubescent throughout, has rotate-stellate corollas, and appears to be a strictly high-elevation species.

This species grows in dense patches on the rainforest floor and over fallen trees. It is a weak climber, and plants in the field were encountered climbing tree trunks up to ca. 1 m from the ground (E. J. Tepe and S. Stern, pers. obs.).

References:

IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee. 2010. Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 8.0. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Subcommittee in March 2010. Downloadable from http://intranet.iucn.org/webfiles/doc/SSC/RedList/RedListGuidelines.pdf.

Tepe, E.J. & L. Bohs. (2011). A revision of Solanum sect. Herpystichum. Systematic Botany, 36, 1068-1087.

Särkinen, T., R.G. Olmstead, L. Bohs & S. Knapp. 2013. A phylogenetic framework for evolutionary study of the nightshades (Solanaceae): a dated 1000-tip tree. BMC Evolutionary Biology 13: 212. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-214

Conservation status:

According to the IUCN Red List Categories (IUCN 2010), S. limoncochaense is classified as B1a+biii (Critically endangered) and D2 (Vulnerable because of restricted area of occupancy). This species is only known from the terra firme forest near the northwest part of the Laguna de Limoncocha in western Ecuador. The four known collections of this species are all from this area, where it is quite common, but exploration of much of the Reserva Biológica Limoncocha did not reveal any additional populations (E.J. Tepe, pers. obs.). There is also a continuing decline in suitable habitats in the area due to deforestation for additional oil exploration, and an increase in the local population resulting from oil-associated jobs (H. Moya, Reserva Biológica Limoncocha, pers. comm.).

Solanaceae Source

A global taxonomic resource for the nightshade family

Solanaceae

Solanum limoncochaense Tepe

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