Solanum lichtensteinii Willd

Knapp, Sandra, Vorontsova, Maria S. & Prohens, Jaime, 2013, Wild Relatives of the Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.: Solanaceae): New Understanding of Species Names in a Complex Group, PLoS ONE 8 (2), pp. 1-12 : 9

6. Solanum lichtensteinii Willd ., Enum. Pl. (Willdenow) 238. 1809.

Distribution. From South Africa to Angola, DR Congo, and Tanzania; dry grassland, woodland, and thickets; 500–2000 m.

Solanum lichtenstenii is morphologically similar to S. incanum in being densely pubescent with long-stalked trichomes, but can be distinguished from it geographically and by its ridged young stems. In herbarium specimens S. lichtensteinii plants have a greyer tone than the yellowish green S. incanum , but this character is difficult to quantify. Individuals of S. lichtensteinii in upland dry areas of South Africa can be of very small stature, with reduced entire leaves, while S. incanum is more consistent in plant size (shrubs of ca. 1 m) and no dwarf forms are known. Lester and Hasan [ 29] suggested that S. lichtensteinii (their ‘‘ S. incanum group D’’) had arisen from within ‘‘ S. incanum group A’’ (= S. campylacanthum ) and that S. incanum in the strict sense arose from northern populations of S. lichtensteinii . Phylogenetic results [ 27] show this not to be the case, S. lichtensteinii is sister to the South Africa S. linnaeaneum and S. campylacanthum is sister to the rest of taxa sampled; this pattern of relationships is confirmed with a larger data set including more species of African solanums [ 38] where S. umtuma is also part of a clade including S. lichtensteinii and S. linnaeanum .