Lycianthes moziniana (Dunal) Bitter

A Revision of Lycianthes series Meizonodontae
(UC) UC Berkeley/ (XAL) Institute de Ecologia, Xalapa
Lycianthes moziniana (Dunal) Bitter
Mexico: State of Veracruz; Mpio. Acultzingo; high mountains near border of Veracruz and
Puebla. Town of El Sumidero, S of town of Puerto del Aire which is along hwy 150 between
Orizaba and Tehuacan. 8000 ft.
Moist foggy pastures and cultivated fields in oak forest. Gentle slope above seasonal cattle
pond. Growing in cultivated field with com, beans and squash, mostly at the sides of field.
Com tassles just maturing. Soil of volcanic origin. Species common, but just in this one field.
No fertilizer or herbicides used. Decumbent perennial herb, from storage root. Flowers purple,
open at time of arrival (1 lam), closed by noon. Fruit olive green and soft with black seeds.
Informant I: Perfirio Rosas Gonzalez (farmer who planted field). Plant use: edible fruit, but no
eaten much by Perfirio. He says that this “weed” comes up after plowing every year in same
place. The field is plowed with oxen and plow. He doesn't try to weed it out, because it comes
up again anyway. Generally, there are lots of fruits now, but this is a late season, because of
lack of rain. Indigenous name: "tochin"
Informant 2: Man in Acultizingo. Plant use: He said that there is a plant with a yellow sweet
fruit that grows in the cerros. He also said that there is a similar plant with a black sweet fruit
that sometimes grows in his field, but he couldn't find it (perhaps L. ciliolatal). Indigenous
name: "tochin”
Informant 3: Man and wife in Acultzingo. Plant use: Plant grows in milpas of ranchitos in the
cerros of Manzanillo and Fresnal. Black at maturity. Indigenous name: "tochin"
Ellen Dean 270	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
01424548