Solanum bohsii J.D. Tovar, 2022

Tovar, Juan David & Giacomin, Leandro Lacerda, 2022, A new species and new records of Solanum (Solanaceae) from Colombia, PhytoKeys 195, pp. 63-73 : 63

Solanum bohsii J.D. Tovar sp. nov.

Figs 1 and 2

Diagnosis.

Like Solanum chlamydogynum Bitter, but with a translucent indumentum of unbranched or, at most, furcate trichomes restricted to the veins of the leaves (vs. dendritic, more abundant and ochraceous in S. chlamydogynum ), cucullate calyx lobes (vs. non-cucullate in S. chlamydogynum ) and glabrous ovaries (vs. densely pubescent in S. chlamydogynum ).

Type.

Colombia. Risaralda: Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari , sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2100 m elev., 15 Nov 2020 (fl, fr), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 484 (holotype: FAUC [FAUC36396]; isotypes: COL, FMB, HUA) .

Description.

Shrubs or small trees, 2-7 m tall; stems winged, greenish-brown when young, turning brown with age, young stems pubescent with translucent simple or furcate 4-8-cellular trichomes. Sympodial units difoliate and geminate, leaves ovate to obovate, glabrous adaxially or with translucent trichomes along the mid-rib and secondary veins like those on stem, abaxially pubescent with trichomes in the mid-rib and along the secondary and tertiary veins; major leaves 18-35 (45) × 12-16 cm, with 12-15 pairs of main lateral veins, these often strongly parallel, the apex acute, base oblique and decurrent on to petiole; petioles 1-2 cm long, pubescent with translucent trichomes, like those on stem; minor leaves differing only in size, not in shape, 8-9.5 × 4-5 cm, with 6-9 pairs of main lateral veins, adaxially and abaxially pubescent along the mid-rib and main lateral veins like those on stem, the apex acute or rounded, base oblique and decurrent on to petiole; petiole 0.5.-0.7 cm long, pubescent with translucent trichomes, like those on stem. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, forked and erect, 20-50 flowered, peduncles 1.5-2.5 cm, with unbranched and uniseriate trichomes, like those on stem, pedicel scars densely spaced, not overlapping, pedicels 0.5-1 cm long, deflexed, thickened at the apex and purple in live plants. Buds globose, with the corolla strongly exserted from the calyx tube prior to anthesis. Flowers 5-6-merous, all perfect; calyx tube cyathiform, 2-3 mm long, the lobes deltoid abruptly reduced and hooded at the apex, 1.5-2 × 1.8-2.2 mm, abaxially glabrous or densely pubescent with trichomes like those of the young stem and with a tuft of hairs at apex; corolla 1.5-2 cm in diameter, white, fleshy, lobed ca. ¾ of the way to the base, the lobes 0.7-0.9 × 3-4 mm spreading or deflexed at anthesis, glabrous and cucullate at the tips; anthers 4-6 × 1.2-1.7 mm, poricidal at the tips, sagittate at the base; free portion of the filaments 0.2-1.2 mm long; ovary glabrous; style 0.5-0.7 mm long, terete, glabrous, stigma capitate, light green in live plants. Fruit a globose green berry, 1-1.2 cm in diameter, glabrescent or with a few scattered trichomes like those on stem and an apical scar, green at maturity; fruiting pedicels 1.5-2 cm long, erect, woody and somewhat rugose, distally enlarged, the calyx constricted and with lobes woody in fruit. Seeds ca. 80 per fruit, 2.5-3.5 × 2-2.5 mm, flattened-reniform, greyish when dry, the margins incrassate, the surfaces minutely pitted. Chromosome number not known.

Distribution and ecology.

Solanum bohsii is known only from three localities in the western slopes of the central Andean cordillera in Colombia in the Departments of Caldas, Quindio and Risaralda (Fig. 3 ) where it inhabits secondary forest edges between 1,900-2,300 m elevation, forming groups of up to 10 individuals.

Phenology.

According to the collections studied, S. bohsii produces flowers and fruits throughout the year.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honours Lynn Bohs, an American botanist and expert in the Solanaceae family, who has made great contributions to the understanding of systematics and evolution of the genus Solanum over the last 30 years.

Preliminary conservation status.

Endangered [EOO (100 km2) and AOO (12 km2)]. We assign S. bohsii a preliminary IUCN Red List status of endangered (EN), based on assessment criteria B2 a, b (i,ii,iv) ( IUCN 2017).

Notes.

According to its morphology, S. bohsii is a member of the Solanum sessile species group (sensu Knapp 1991; 2002b) with difoliate and geminate sympodial units, large leaves and large branched inflorescences and ovoid-reniform seeds. It is easily distinguished from the other species in the group by its large leaves up to 45 cm long and the secondary veins strongly parallel in mature leaves. Solanum bohsii is morphologically similar to S. chlamydogynum from Venezuela with which it shares the winged stems, the fleshy large flowers with cucullate lobes and the presence of trichomes in both leaf surfaces. However, trichomes of S. bohsii are simple or, at most, furcate, translucent and less abundant compared to S. chlamydogynum which has dendritic ochraceous trichomes. Furthermore, inflorescence peduncles are less pubescent in S. bohsii , while densely pubescent with ochraceous trichomes in S. chlamydogynum .

Solanum bohsii has distinctive mature fruits in dry material with a network-like pericarp, resembling the venation of leaves. From the other species in the Solanum sessile species group, it is easily recognised either by the pubescence, the winged stems, the large leaves or the large flowers with cucullate lobes (see Knapp 1991; 2002b).

Paratypes.

Colombia. Caldas: Municipio de Neira, antigua fábrica de cementos Caldas, 2,026 m elev., 7 Jul 2001 (fl, fr), Camilo Rivera, Andres Castellanos, C. Arbelaez & W. Acosta 8 (FAUC). Quindío: Municipio de Salento, bosque frente al molino, 1,900-2,000 m elev., 9 May 1997 (fl, fr), W. Vargas 3820 (HUQ). Risaralda: Municipio de Pereira, cerca de la entrada del Parque Regional Ucumari, 1,800 m elev., 10 Aug 2014 (fl, fr), J.D. Tovar 114 (JBB); Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari, sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2,100 m elev., 15 Nov 2020 (fl), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 481 (FAUC); Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari, sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2,100 m elev., 15 November 2020 (fl), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 482 (FAUC); Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari, sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2,100 m elev., 15 Nov 2020 (fl, fr), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 483 (FAUC); Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari, sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2,100 m elev., 15 Nov 2020 (fl), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 485 (FAUC); Municipio de Pereira, Parque Regional Natural Ucumari, sector el cedral, 4°42'16"N, 75°32'20"W, 2,100 m elev., 15 Nov 2020 (fr), J.D. Tovar & A.F. Bohorquez 486 (FAUC). Municipio de Pereira, Santuario de flora y fauna Otún Quimbaya, 12 Feb 2016 (fl, fr). A. Orejuela et al. 2630 (JBB); Municipio de Pereira, Reserva Natural Ucumari, La Pastora, camino a Ceylan, 5°06'47"N, 75°53'16"W, 2,300 m elev., 30 Jul 2006 (fl, fr), F.J. Roldan et al. 4010 (HUA); Municipio de Pereira, Valle del río Otún, Parque Regional Ucumari, El Cedral, 4°02"N, 79°31'W, 1,980-2,000 m elev., 20 Feb 1990 (fl, fr), T.B. Croat & M.P. Galeano 70797 (HUA, MO).

Figures

Figure 1. Solanum bohsii J. D. Tovar A plant habit B flowers and buds C infructescence D sympodial units.

Figure 2. Holotype of Solanum bohsii J. D. Tovar [J. D. Tovar & A. F. Bohorquez 484 (FAUC 36396)].

Figure 3. Distribution of Solanum bohsii J. D. Tovar (yellow stars).