Monographs Details:
Authority:
Knapp, Sandra D. 2002. section (Solanaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 84: 1-404. (Published by NYBG Press)
Knapp, Sandra D. 2002.
Family:
Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Synonyms:
Solanum aquatile C.V.Morton, Solanum intermedium Sendtn.
Solanum aquatile C.V.Morton, Solanum intermedium Sendtn.
Description:
Species Description - Shrubs or subshrubs growing in river courses, 0.5-2 m tall; young stems slender, glabrous; bark dark brown, paler and exfoliating on older stems, lenticellate. Sympodial units difoliate, geminate or plurifoliate. Leaves oblanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, variable over the range of the species, widest at or just distal to the middle, with 6-9 pairs of main lateral veins prominent and yellowish beneath, glabrous; major leaves 814 x 0.8-3.2 cm, the apex acuminate, the base attenuate, decurrent on the petiole; petioles 5-6 mm long, winged from the decurrent leaf bases; minor leaves, if present, much the same size and shape as the major ones, elliptic to linear, 7-8 x 0.8-3 cm, the apex acute to acuminate, the base acute to attenuate; petioles 3-5 mm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves or somewhat internodal, simple or furcate, 0.5-2 cm long, 3-40-flow-ered, glabrous; pedicel scars evenly spaced ca. 1 mm apart, beginning very close to the base of the inflorescence. Buds globose, soon exserted from the hyaline calyx, the buds then ellipsoid. Pedicels at anthesis 0.8-1.3 cm long, white, tapering from the calyx tube to a slender base less than 0.5 mm diam., erect or slightly deflexed. Flowers with the calyx tube ca. 1 mm long, hyaline, white, the lobes deltoid, apiculate, ca. 1 mm long, minutely papillose at the tips or glabrous; corolla white, 1-1.2 cm across, lobed 2/3 of the way to the base, the lobes planar or slightly reflexed at anthesis, with scattered minute papillae on the tips of the lobes; anthers 2.5-3 x 1 mm, poricidal at the tips, the pores teardrop shaped; free portion of the filaments less than 0.1 mm long, the filament tube ca. 0.2 mm long; ovary glabrous; flowers heterostylous, short styles 1-1.5 mm long, with indistinct stigmas, long styles 5-6 mm long, straight; stigma small and capitate, minutely papillose. Fruit a globose berry, when immature slightly umbonate, 0.8-1.3 cm diam., green, occasionally with a metallic bluish cast: fruiting pedicels woody, erect, ca. 2 cm long, in age becoming very corky. Seeds brown, ovoid-reniform, ca. 3 x 1.5 mm, the surfaces minutely pitted, nearly smooth. Chromosome number not known.
Species Description - Shrubs or subshrubs growing in river courses, 0.5-2 m tall; young stems slender, glabrous; bark dark brown, paler and exfoliating on older stems, lenticellate. Sympodial units difoliate, geminate or plurifoliate. Leaves oblanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, variable over the range of the species, widest at or just distal to the middle, with 6-9 pairs of main lateral veins prominent and yellowish beneath, glabrous; major leaves 814 x 0.8-3.2 cm, the apex acuminate, the base attenuate, decurrent on the petiole; petioles 5-6 mm long, winged from the decurrent leaf bases; minor leaves, if present, much the same size and shape as the major ones, elliptic to linear, 7-8 x 0.8-3 cm, the apex acute to acuminate, the base acute to attenuate; petioles 3-5 mm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves or somewhat internodal, simple or furcate, 0.5-2 cm long, 3-40-flow-ered, glabrous; pedicel scars evenly spaced ca. 1 mm apart, beginning very close to the base of the inflorescence. Buds globose, soon exserted from the hyaline calyx, the buds then ellipsoid. Pedicels at anthesis 0.8-1.3 cm long, white, tapering from the calyx tube to a slender base less than 0.5 mm diam., erect or slightly deflexed. Flowers with the calyx tube ca. 1 mm long, hyaline, white, the lobes deltoid, apiculate, ca. 1 mm long, minutely papillose at the tips or glabrous; corolla white, 1-1.2 cm across, lobed 2/3 of the way to the base, the lobes planar or slightly reflexed at anthesis, with scattered minute papillae on the tips of the lobes; anthers 2.5-3 x 1 mm, poricidal at the tips, the pores teardrop shaped; free portion of the filaments less than 0.1 mm long, the filament tube ca. 0.2 mm long; ovary glabrous; flowers heterostylous, short styles 1-1.5 mm long, with indistinct stigmas, long styles 5-6 mm long, straight; stigma small and capitate, minutely papillose. Fruit a globose berry, when immature slightly umbonate, 0.8-1.3 cm diam., green, occasionally with a metallic bluish cast: fruiting pedicels woody, erect, ca. 2 cm long, in age becoming very corky. Seeds brown, ovoid-reniform, ca. 3 x 1.5 mm, the surfaces minutely pitted, nearly smooth. Chromosome number not known.
Discussion:
Solarium imberbe is most similar to S. sieberi of coastal Colombia and Venezuela, particularly to the glabrous populations of that species. It differs from S. sieberi in its non-geminate, usually completely glabrous narrowly elliptic to lanceolate leaves, flowers with the corolla lobes only somewhat reflexed at anthesis, and its corky fruiting pedicels without conspicuous apical swellings. Solanum imberbe is also distinct in habitat from S. sieberi, growing in river courses. Like other solanums growing in these situations, S. imberbe has narrow leaves, and is subject to periodic inundation.Leaf shape is quite variable in Solanum imberbe. Plants from central Panama have obovate to oblanceolate leaves, but further east in Panama and in northern South America plants have narrowly lanceolate to even linear leaves. The narrowest leaves are found on plants from Zulia state, Venezuela, these being the eastern-most populations of the species. Flower and fruit morphology are constant throughout the species range.
Solarium imberbe is most similar to S. sieberi of coastal Colombia and Venezuela, particularly to the glabrous populations of that species. It differs from S. sieberi in its non-geminate, usually completely glabrous narrowly elliptic to lanceolate leaves, flowers with the corolla lobes only somewhat reflexed at anthesis, and its corky fruiting pedicels without conspicuous apical swellings. Solanum imberbe is also distinct in habitat from S. sieberi, growing in river courses. Like other solanums growing in these situations, S. imberbe has narrow leaves, and is subject to periodic inundation.Leaf shape is quite variable in Solanum imberbe. Plants from central Panama have obovate to oblanceolate leaves, but further east in Panama and in northern South America plants have narrowly lanceolate to even linear leaves. The narrowest leaves are found on plants from Zulia state, Venezuela, these being the eastern-most populations of the species. Flower and fruit morphology are constant throughout the species range.
Distribution:
Costa Rica South America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Colón Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| César Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America|
Costa Rica South America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Colón Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| César Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Santander Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Zulia Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America|