Solanum aphyodendron S.Knapp

  • Authority

    Knapp, Sandra D. 2002. section (Solanaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 84: 1-404. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Solanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Solanum aphyodendron S.Knapp

  • Type

    Type. Panama. Chiriquí: along Quebrada Alemán, 8 mi N of Los Planes de Homito, IRHE Fortuna Hydroelectric Project, 1200 m, 8°45'N, 82°12 W, 13 Mar 1982, Knapp, Kress & Hammel 4136 (holotype, BH; isotypes, K, MO).

  • Synonyms

    Bassovia foliosa Brandegee, Solanum nudum Dunal, Solanum parcebarbatum Bitter

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs or small trees, 3-15 m tall; young stems and leaves glabrous or with a few scattered uniseriate trichomes, drying blackish; bark of older stems greenish-white and rough; stems slightly winged from the decurrent petiole bases. Sympodial units difoliate, geminate. Leaves narrowly ovate, widest at or just below the middle, drying pale grayish-green, glabrous above and below except for tufts of uniseriate trichomes in the axils of the main lateral veins beneath, the trichomes ca. 1 mm long, white; major leaves 8.5-15 x 3-6.1 cm, with 8-10 pairs of main lateral veins, these depressed above, raised and pale greenish-white beneath, the apex acute or acuminate, the base cuneate or slightly attenuate, with a small wing on the petiole; petioles 0.6-1.7 cm long; minor leaves differing from the major ones only in size, 3.2-8.6 x 1-4 cm, the apex acute or acuminate, the base cuneate; petioles 4-8 mm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves, simple, 1-2.6 cm long, 20-30-flowered, glabrous or occasionally with a few scattered uniseriate trichomes distally; pedicel scars closely spaced, occasionally overlapping, beginning ca. 1 cm from the base of the inflorescence. Buds globose, the corolla soon exerted from the calyx, pubescent with uniseriate trichomes 0.1-1 mm long. Pedicels atanthesis deflexed, 0.7-1.1 cm long, tapering from the calyx tube to a slender base ca. 0.5 mm diam. Flowers with the calyx tube ca. 1 mm long, crateriform, the lobes broadly triangular, 0.5-1 mm long, densely to sparsely pubescent with uniseriate trichomes 0.1-1 mm long, the margins of the lobes white and scarious; corolla white, often drying with a lavender tinge, 1-1.2 cm diam., lobed nearly to the base, the lobes slightly reflexed at anthesis, the tips and margins of the lobes minutely papillose; anthers 2.5-3 x 1-1.5 mm, poricidal at the tips, the pores teardrop shaped; free portion of the filaments ca. 0.25 mm long, the filament tube ca. 0.5 mm long; ovary glabrous; style 5-7 mm long, straight; stigma not distinct from the body of the style, minutely papillose. Fruit a globose, bright green berry, ripening yellow-green, 1-1.2 cm diam., remaining hard until maturity, then softening very quickly; fruiting pedicels deflexed, woody, 1.5-2.3 cm long, ca. 1 mm diam. at the base. Seeds tan, flattened-reniform, 2.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm, the surfaces minutely pitted, the margins incrassate, pitting of margins larger than that of the body. Chromosome number: n = 12 (voucher Knapp 887, Knapp et al. 4325, Knapp & Mallet 6791).

  • Discussion

    Solanum aphyodendron is most similar and probably closely related to S. trichoneuron of southern Bolivia and Argentina, from which it differs in its larger flowers, shorter inflorescences, and somewhat larger berries. Solanum aphyodendron is a common species of roadsides throughout Central America and northern South America and it often forms large monospecific stands in open areas. Material from Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela is quite uniform. Variability in pubescence increases in Peruvian and Bolivian specimens, with some specimens having shorter trichomes on the calyx lobes and denser tufts of trichomes in the vein axils.

    In Monteverde de Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Solanum aphyodendron blooms at irregular intervals throughout the year (Knapp, 1986a). Data from herbarium specimens and observations of this species in Panama and Ecuador indicate that its flowering behavior is very much the same throughout its range. At Monteverde, S. aphyodendron is pollinated by meliponine bees, primarily by Melipona fasciata (Knapp, 1986a). The occurrence of large monospecific stands of S. aphyodendron combined with the foraging behavior oí Melipona produces high fruit set in this species. The fruits are eaten by small frugivorous bats and disappear soon after they become ripe.

    Solanum aphyodendron has long been confused with S. nudum, to which it is somewhat closely related, but differs in habitat, flower size and pubescence of flower parts, and in the color and texture of the bark of older stems. Solanum nudum occurs in low-elevation thickets, sometimes on beach strands, and has dark brown bark and glabrous, globose buds. The bark color remains consistent even on herbarium sheets, with S. aphyodendron being pale white or greenish and S. nudum being dark brown or black.

  • Common Names

    capulín de pajaro, yerba de zopilote, zorrillo, kaqi sakyol, huele de noche, hediondilla, hiede hiede, chuco amargo

  • Distribution

    Widely distributed in second growth at middle- to high-elevations, 800-2500 m, from Mexico to northern Bolivia.

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