Solanum roblense Bitter

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Solanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Solanum roblense Bitter

  • Type

    Type. Costa Rica. Heredia: Forêts de L Alto del Roble, massif de Barba, 2000 m, May 1888, Pittier et Durand 210 (lectotype, BR, here designated [photos LL, US]).

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs or small trees, 1-4 m tall; young stems and leaves glabrous or minutely papillose; bark of the older stems pale, transversely rugose and peeling. Sympodial units difoliate, geminate. Leaves elliptic to narrowly elliptic, widest at the middle, glabrous, the margins lightly crenulate; major leaves 6.5-15.6 x 2.2-4.6 cm, with 8-12 pairs of main lateral veins, slightly raised above, prominent and yellowish beneath, the apex acuminate, the base attenuate; petioles 0.5-1.1 cm long; minor leaves differing from the major ones only in size, 2-5.4 x 0.8-2.4 cm, the apex acuminate, the base attenuate; petioles 2-6 mm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves, simple, glabrous or occasionally minutely papillose at the extreme tip, 0.5-1 cm long; pedicel scars closely spaced and overlapping, beginning at the base of the inflorescence. Buds ovoid, the corolla soon exserted from the nearly truncate calyx tube. Pedicels at anthesis 0.9-1.1 cm long, deflexed, tapering from the base of the calyx tube to a slender base ca. 0.5 mm diam. Flowers with the calyx tube 1-1.5 mm long, narrowly conical, the lobes short deltoid, 0.5-1 mm long, glabrous or occasionally minutely papillose; corolla white, 1-1.3 cm diam., lobed 3/4 of the way to the base, planar at anthesis (?), the tips and margins of the lobes minutely papillose; anthers 3-3.5 x 0.75-1.5 mm, the terminal portion ca. 0.5 mm long, paler and thickened, poricidal at the tips, the pores teardrop shaped; free portion of the filaments ca. 0.1 mm long, the filament tube 0.5-0.75 mm long; ovary glabrous; style straight, ca. 5.5 mm long; stigma capitate, minutely papillose. Fruit a globose, green, glabrous berry, 0.8-1.1 cm diam.; fruiting pedicels erect, woody, 1.6-2 cm long, 1-1.5 mm diam. at the base; calyx lobes slightly accrescent and woody in fruit, ca. 2 mm long, with thick margins. Seeds tan, ovoid-reniform, ca. 3 x 2 mm, the surfaces minutely pitted. Chromosome number not known.

  • Discussion

    Solanum roblense is very similar in appearance and is probably closely related to S. ramonense, another montane Costa Rican species. Solanum roblense is easily distinguished from S. ramonense by its larger flowers, longer, thinner anthers with a terminal thickened portion, and by its narrower leaves. The calyx of S. roblense is truncate in bud, in flower the lobes become short deltoid, and in fruit are woody and accrescent, while the calyx lobes of S. ramonense are long-triangular in bud and flower, and shrivel and break off in fruit.

  • Distribution

    In primary forest in central montane Costa Rica. Most of the collections are from the slopes of Volcán Barba and Volcán Poas from 1800-2000 m.

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