Lycianthes ciliolata var. pratorum Bitter

Grown in greenhouse at UC Berkeley.
Harvested:
A Revision of Lycianthes series Meizonodontae
(UC) UC Berkeley/ (XAL) Institute» de Ecologia, Xalapa
Lycianthes ciliolala (Mart. & Gal.) Bitter
Mexico: State of Puebla; Mpio. Tehuacan; old field just to the E of the mesa at El Riego, and
drainage that crosses dirt road to the SE of El Riego. Same locality as Dean 225. 5500 ft.
Dry matorral habitat under cultivation. Opuntia, shrubs, Datura, Physalis, Solatium, Schinus
molle. Along footpaths near drainage and at base of mesa. Area now very overgrown with
vines and sunflowers. Growing at side of fields planted with corn, squash, beans and castor
bean. Soil of limestone origin. Common, but not everywhere. Perennial herb from large
storage root. Insect and grazing damage apparent. Fruit turns from green to purple speckled to
dark black purple. At maturity, inside has dark black purple outer pulp and a light purple inner
pulp. Seeds large and black.
Informant: Mirium Espinoza Garcia. Plant use: Sweet edible fruit. Grows in Mirium's family's
milpas that are in the hills west of Tehuacan in an area called El Rincon del Viejo. Also
common out in the matorral. Indigenous name: "la pera”
Ellen Dean 271	27 Sept 1991
with Thomas Starbuck
Fieldwork supported by grants and fellowships from:
the National Science Foundation, Explorer's Club, Sigma Xi, Hardman Foundation,
Tinker Foundation, and UC Berkeley
01424499