Solanum psychotrioides Dunal

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Solanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Solanum psychotrioides Dunal

  • Type

    Type. Colombia, ad fluvium Magdalenae (prope Tenerife et Mompox fide HBK), Humboldt & Bonplands.n. (holotype, P-Bonpl. [microfiche IDC 6209-2:61 II.2, Fneg. 39013, Morton neg. 22329]; isotype, P [Morton neg. 8303]).

  • Synonyms

    Solanum gracilescens C.V.Morton

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs to trees, 3-10 m tall, to 8 cm diam.; young stems and leaves densely red-glandular papillose, the trichomes (papillae) less than 0.1 mm long, roundish, persistent on older leaves; stems soon glabrate; bark of older stems rugose and transversely exfoliating, pale gray. Sympodial units difoliate, occasionally geminate. Leaves elliptic to obovate, usually not geminate, widest at the middle or just above, red glandular papillose on both surfaces, occasionally with a few uniseriate trichomes along the veins above, the trichomes beneath 0.5-0.7 mm long, usually branched, along the veins and in the vein axils, occasionally extending to the lamina beneath, blades 3—13 x 2-5 cm, with 8-11 pairs of main lateral veins, these impressed above, prominent and reddish beneath, the apex acute, the base acute; petioles 0.7-1.5 cm long; minor leaves when present, differing from the major ones only in size, 2.5-4 x 1.52 cm, the apex acute, the base acute; petioles 2-5 mm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves, simple, 0.5-1.5 cm long, 2-7-flowered, glandular papillose, often with uniseriate, usually branched trichomes 0.5-0.7 mm long along the axis; pedicel scars closely spaced, large, corky, and overlapping, beginning near the base of the inflorescence; Buds flattened apically when very young, later globose, just before anthesis ovoid. Pedicels at anthesis thick and rugose like the stems, 1-1.2 cm long, deflexed, tapering from the base of the calyx tube to a base ca. 1 mm diam. Flowers with the calyx tube open and broadly cup-shaped, 1-2 mm long, the lobes broadly deltoid, 0.5-2 mm long, rather irregular in shape, red glandular papillose with uniseriate trichomes like those of the rest of the inflorescence, the entire calyx appearing woody in dry material; corolla white, fleshy, 1.6-2.2 cm diam., lobed nearly to the base, the lobes planar at anthesis, the tips of the lobes cucullate, the tips and margins of the lobes densely papillose; anthers 4-6 x l.5-2 mm, poricidal at the tips, the terminal 0.5 mm thickened and paler, the pores teardrop shaped; free portion of the filaments 0.5-1 mm long, the filament tube 1-1.5 mm long; ovary glabrous; style straight, 8-9 mm long; stigma a terminal thickening on the style, minutely papillose. Fruit a globose, green berry, 1.4-1.7 cm diam.; fruiting pedicels erect and woody, conspicuously rugose, 2-3 cm long, ca. 2 mm diam. at the base. Seeds not known (only one specimen with fruit; seeds appear rather large through the fruit wall). Chromosome number not known.

  • Discussion

    Solatium psychotrioides is probably most closely related to S. vacciniiflorum of high-elevation Costa Rica, and to S. validinervium of high-elevation Venezuela. The trichomes on all three of these species are of similar morphology and structure: they are often branched, have weak walls, and are reddish when dry. Solanum psychotrioides differs from those species in its dense indument of papillose trichomes on the new growth, and in its elongate, woody, rugose fruiting pedicels. Solanum psychotrioides is variable in pubescence, with some populations possessing only papillate trichomes, and others possessing both papillate and uniseriate, both branched and simple, trichomes on the new growth and leaf undersides. As with many of the species of sect. Geminata, the usefulness of trichome characters is difficult to assess; trichomes are not immediately useful in identification of some particularly variable species.

    The type locality of Solanum psychotrioides is along the banks of the lower Rio Magdalena in lowland Colombia, but no specimens matching the type have ever been collected from near that locality. The type specimen itself does not have the morphology of a lowland member of the section but is more typical of high-elevation plants. The recent collection most closely matching the type specimen is Pennell 7449 from the Cordillera Occidental in the department of Cauca. Humboldt and Bonpland may have used composite localities and did visit some highland areas during this portion of their voyage (Sprague, 1926). The locality on the label of the type specimen is most likely in error.

  • Distribution

    In the Cordillera Occidental and Central of Colombia, at 2500-3000 m.

    Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Valle del Cauca Colombia South America|