Lycianthes moszkowskii (Bitter) Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Vereins Bremen 24 [preprint]: 504. 1919, as " Moszkowskii".

Knapp, Sandra, 2022, A revision of Lycianthes (Solanaceae) in Australia, New Guinea, and the Pacific, PhytoKeys 209, pp. 1-134 : 1

10. Lycianthes moszkowskii (Bitter) Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Vereins Bremen 24 [preprint]: 504. 1919, as " Moszkowskii".

Figs 31 , 32

Solanum moszkowskii Bitter, Bot. Jarhb. Syst. 55: 103. 1917, as " Moszkowskii ". Type. Indonesia. Papua: "Van Rees, Naumoni" [Van Rees Mtns., Naumoni bivouac], Oct 1910, M. Moszkowski 368 (holotype: B [destroyed], no duplicates found). Papua New Guinea. Morobe: Aseki road, beside Aseki road, 2,000 m, 27 Jul 1977, K. Rau, W. Moi & Arenaso 73 (neotype, designated here: LAE [acc. # 235844]; isoneotypes: A, K [K001153713], L [L.2899568]).

Solanum acuminatissimum Merr. & L.M.Perry, J. Arn. Arb. 30: 49. 1949. Type. Indonesia. Papua: 15 km SW of Bernhard Camp, Idenburg [Taritaru] River, 1,800 m, Jan 1939, L.J. Brass 12290 (holotype: A [00077831]; isotypes: L [L0003602], LAE [acc. # 229600]).

Type.

Based on Solanum moszkowskii Bitter.

Description.

Erect or sprawling (climbing?) shrubs, 0.7-4.5 m tall; stems terete and very lightly ridged with decurrent leaf bases, glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent with stiff simple uniseriate 2-4-celled trichomes to 1 mm long, these spreading or sometimes antrorse, the bases sometimes enlarged and pustulate; new growth densely pubescent with stiff antrorse simple uniseriate trichomes to 1 mm long, these soon deciduous in nearly glabrous plants; bark of older stems dark brown, glabrescent. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate, the leaves of a pair differing in size and shape. Leaves simple; blades of major leaves 7-11 cm long, 3-8.5 cm wide, narrowly obovate to obelliptic, widest in the distal half, discolorous, chartaceous or coriaceous, often drying dark brown; adaxial surfaces shiny, glabrous, the more pubescent plants with stiff antrorse trichomes along the somewhat keeled midrib; abaxial surfaces sparsely to moderately and evenly pubescent on veins and lamina with stiff simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems, these not markedly antrorse; principal veins 5-6 pairs, impressed above, the midrib slightly keeled; base acute; margins entire, sometimes somewhat ciliate with stiff simple uniseriate trichomes; apex acuminate or abruptly acuminate; petioles 0.5-1 cm long, glabrous or moderately pubescent with stiff simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems; blades of minor leaves 2.5-7 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, elliptic, texture and pubescence like that of the major leaves; base acute; margins entire; apex acute to acuminate; petiole absent to 0.5 cm long, glabrous or pubescent like the stems. Inflorescences axillary fascicles of 1-3 flowers, only one open at a time, pubescent with antrorse or spreading stiff uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems; pedicels at anthesis 1.8-2 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter at the base, ca. 2 mm in diameter at the apex, spreading, thick and apparently fleshy in live plants, green (?), glabrous to sparsely pubescent with antrorse simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems, articulated at the base; pedicel scars closely and tightly packed in the leaf axils. Buds globose, later broadly elliptic, the corolla included in the calyx tube until just before anthesis. Flowers 5-merous, heterostylous and apparently unisexual, specimens either have all short-styled flowers or all fruit, the plants possibly dioecious. Calyx tube 3-3.5 mm long, 3.5-5 mm in diameter, cup-shaped, thick and coriaceous, apparently somewhat fleshy in live plants, glabrous to sparsely pubescent with stiff antrorse simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the pedicels, appendages absent, the rim slightly thickened. Corolla 2-2.5 cm in diameter, white or purplish cream, stellate, lobed nearly to the base, interpetalar tissue absent or merely a thin margin on the corolla lobe, the lobes 1-12 mm long, 4-4.5 mm wide, spreading or reflexed, thick and fleshy, glabrous on both surfaces but densely papillate at the tips and margins, the tips cucullate. Stamens equal; filament tube minute; free portion of the filaments 1-2 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 3 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, ellipsoid and slightly tapering, yellow, poricidal at the tips, the pores distally directed, not elongating to slits with age. Ovary conical to globose, glabrous; style in short-styled flowers ca. 1 mm long, in long-styled flowers ca. 5 mm long, straight, glabrous; stigma broadly capitate, the surfaces minutely papillate. Fruit a globose berry, 1.3-1.5 cm in diameter, bright red when ripe, the pericarp glabrous, thin, matte to slightly shiny, opaque; fruiting pedicels (2- immature) 3-3.5 cm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter at the base, 2.5-3 mm in diameter at the apex, spreading or pendent, not markedly woody, green (?); fruiting calyx a spreading saucer beneath the fruit, somewhat corky and rugose (fleshy in live plants?). Seeds 30-40 per berry, 5-6 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, round with a prominent wing 1.5-2 mm wide (total measurement includes the wing), yellowish tan or straw-coloured, the surfaces very shallowly pitted, the testal cells more or less sinuate in outline. Stone cells absent. Chromosome number not known.

Distribution

(Fig. 33 ). Lycianthes moszkowskii is endemic to the island of New Guinea; it has been collected in Papua New Guinea (Eastern Highlands, Madang, Morobe, West Sepik, Western Highlands) and Indonesia (Papua).

Ecology and habitat.

Lycianthes moszkowskii is a plant of several types of primary rainforests, oak and Castanopsis forests, mossy montane forests and mid-montane forests; it occurs from 600 to 2,000 m elevation.

Common names.

None recorded.

Preliminary conservation assessment

( IUCN 2020). EOO (165,342 km2 - LC); AOO (80 km2 - EN). Lycianthes moszkowskii is known from eight localities, mostly in Papua New Guinea with some collections from protected areas in the Bulolo region (McAdams National Park). I propose a preliminary threat status of Vulnerable (VU [B2a, b(iii,iv)]) for L. moszkowskii .

Discussion.

Lycianthes moszkowskii is one of the more widely distributed species of Lycianthes on the island of New Guinea, only L. oliveriana is more widely distributed. The obovoid leaves, large (2-2.5 cm in diameter) flowers, large berries (to 1.5 cm in diameter) on long fruiting pedicels and large seeds (ca. 6 mm in diameter) with a prominent wing are all found only in L. moszkowskii and serve to distinguish it from all other species on New Guinea. Lycianthes moszkowskii is very variable in pubescence density; a few specimens are densely and evenly pubescent over the entire abaxial leaf surface, while others have trichomes confined to along the midrib or lack trichomes entirely; branches and leaves are usually glabrescent with age and very lightly ridged from the somewhat decurrent leaf bases. The trichomes (if present) are stiff and usually spreading, rather than strongly antrorse, as is common on other species with stiff trichomes (e.g., L. peranomala , L. rostellata ). The type collection was a branch with immature berries and the protologue of S. moszkowskii does not mention any pubescence ( Bitter 1917).

Many specimens of Lycianthes moszkowskii are identified as " Lycianthes cf. S. belense " by D.E. Symon in various herbaria, especially at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center (e.g. Sayers NGF-21517, L.2859575); care should be taken with early determinations of New Guinea Lycianthes on old annotation labels. Symon (1985) suggested the two species were closely related and they certainly are very similar. Lycianthes belensis has similar inflorescences with few, large flowers and calyces with no appendages but differs from L. moszkowskii in its soft, curling pubescence (versus stiff spreading trichomes of L. moszkowskii ) and its calyx with tiny appendages and a rim that is transparent and appears ruffly (versus a truncate calyx with no appendages in L. moszkowskii ). The flowers of L. moszkowskii are more stellate with less interpetalar tissue than those of L. belensis . Seeds of L. belensis are not known, if they are strongly winged like those of L. moszkowskii this would be another shared character.

Symon (1985) suggested that Lycianthes moszkowskii (as Solanum moszkowskii ) had horticultural potential for its "handsome leaves and large red fruits, looking rather like cherries." He had not seen long-styled ( “female”) flowers, but in common with many other New Guinea Lycianthes , they are present on specimens with fruit, but not on specimens with short-styled flowers, suggesting this species is dioecious.

The type of Solanum moszkowskii was collected in the Van Rees range in northern Papua (Indonesia), an isolated range north of the main central spine of New Guinea; they are the lowest of the ten outlier mountain ranges along the north coast ( Diamond and Bishop 2021) and have been very rarely explored and the area is sparsely populated. The German zoologist Max Moszkowski lost all his first set of collections from the Van Rees Mountains in and accident that occurred while descending the Edi Falls on the Mamberano River ( van Steenis-Kruseman 1985). The specimen seen by Bitter (1917) was collected on the second attempt to ascend the river. His collections were all sent to Berlin and no duplicates of the type collection of S. moszkowskii have been found, despite intensive searches. In the protologue Bitter (1917) compares L. moszkowskii (as S. moszkowskii ) to L. impar (as S. impar ) and differentiates them based on the sessile, few-flowered inflorescence of L. moszkowskii , but he also states that they cannot be distinguished without flowers. In designating a neotype for S. moszkowskii that is in accordance with the protologue I have selected a collection with glabrous, slightly ridged stems, narrowly elliptic leaves, and that is in fruit (Rau et al. 73, neotype in LAE); it is unfortunate that it is not from nearer the type locality, but selection of Rau et al. 73 in accordance with the morphology described in the protologue and maintains the circumscription of L. moszkowskii as established by Symon (1985). The collection Streimann NGF-52968 is from nearer the type locality (in the province of Sanduan near the Papua border) and has immature fruit with the distinctive winged seeds of L. moszkowskii but is not in accordance with the protologue as the new growth is densely pubescent.

Specimens examined.

Indonesia. Papua: 15 km. southwest of Bernhard Camp, Idenburg River [=Taritatu River], small clearing in the mossy forest, 1,800 m, Jan 1939, Brass 12290 (A, L, LAE) .

Papua New Guinea. Eastern Highlands: Mount Piora, Kainantu subprov., above Habi'ina village on lower slopes of Mt. Piora , 2,125 m, 7 Sep 1995, Sands et al. 1751 (K). Madang: Track between Budemu and Moro villages, S side of Finisterre Range, eastern Madang District. , 21 Oct 1964, Pullen 6011 (BM, LAE); Sewe, Saidor subdistrict, 2,286 m, 10 Aug 1964, Sayers NGF-19830 (A, K, L, LAE). Morobe: Sumanzing, via Heickepe suppl., 1,829 m, 21 Oct 1938, M.S. Clemens 9071 (B); Manki ridge road, 8 Jun 1977, Conn & Kairo 444 (A, K); Mount Shungol , about 5 miles S of Wagau, 1,829 m, 12 Dec 1963, Hartley 12523 a, (A, K, L, LAE); Bulolo District , Gumi, above Gumi Village , Lower Watut TRP, 1,950 m, 17 Oct 1992, Höft 29018 (L); Mount Kandi , Wau, 2200 m, 16 Jul 1978, Kairo 62 (A, K, L, LAE); Manki, Bulolo, 600 m, 17 Jan 1976, Kairo, A. 70 (A, L, LAE), 18 Jan 1976, Kairo 73 (A, K, L, LAE), 19 Jan 1976, Kairo 79 (A, K, L, LAE); Wau, north slope of Mt. Kaindi , 2,050 m, 19 Nov 1983, Kerenga & Dao LAE-56629 (L, LAE); Mount Buruman , Wantoat, 28 May 1980, Kerenga LAE-77590 (LAE); Aseki, beside Aseki road, 2,000 m, 27 Jul 1977, Rau et al. 73 (A, K, L, LAE); Wagau , Morobe Dist. , T.N.G., 1,219 m, 5 Jan 1965, Sayers NGF-21517 (BM, L, LAE); Tawa Village near Aseki, Menyamya Subdistrict, 1,700 m, 16 May 1968, Streimann & Kairo NGF-27634 (L); Piwi-anga, Menyamya-Kaintiba Road, Menyamya Subdistrict, 1,800 m, 11 May 1968, Streimann & Kairo NGF-35924 (L); Wau, Aseki road from Bulolo, 2,286 m, 29 May 1977, Symon & Crutwell 10631 (K, L, LAE, MO, US) ; Aseki, Aseki road, below crest, 1,950 m, 31 May 1984, Symon & Katik 13828 (LAE, MO), Symon & Katik 13830 (L, LAE, MO); Mount Missim , lower slopes, 2 Jun 1984, Symon & Kairo 13846 (L, LAE, MO); Bulolo District , Gumi, Gumi area , 1,750 m, 3 Jun 1984, Symon & Vinas 13853 (L, L, LAE), Symon & Vinas 13854 (L, LAE, MO); near Namie Creek , along Edie Creek road, on flanks of Mount Kaindi , above Wau, 1,585-1,615 m, 8 Sep 1968, Webster & Hildreth 15188 (GH). Sanduan: Vanimo hinterland, Vanimo subdistrict, 500 m, 30 Nov 1971, Streimann NGF-52968 (K, L, LAE). Western Highlands: border with Mandang Province , Bismarck range, summit ridge at Camp 2 ( Mt. Oibo ), 1,830-2,044 m, 10 Oct 1995, Takeuchi 10663 (A, L, LAE) .

Figures

Figure 31. Lycianthes moszkowskii (Bitter) Bitter. Drawing by M. L. Szent-Ivany, first published in Symon (1985: fig. 15, as S. moszkowskii Bitter). Courtesy of the Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium (Adelaide, South Australia), reproduced with permission.

Figure 32. Lycianthes moszkowskii herbarium specimen. Papua New Guinea. Morobe: Sayers NGF- 21517 (BM 001018996). Courtesy of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, reproduced with permission.

Figure 33. Distribution of Lycianthes moszkowskii.