Solanum hoffmanseggii, Sendtn.,

Stern, Stephen, Bohs, Lynn, Giacomin, Leandro, Stehmann, João & Knapp, Sandra, 2013, A Revision of Solanum Section Gonatotrichum, Systematic Botany 38 (2), pp. 470-496 : 483-486

4. SOLANUM HOFFMANSEGGII Sendtn., Mart. Fl. Bras. 10: 112. 1846.

—TYPE: BRAZIL. “ In provincia Paraensi a Siber lectum comunicavit Com. de Hoffmansegg,” (fl), F.W. Sieber [as Siber ] s.n. (lectotype, here designated: BR-BR000000699204 !; isolectotype (but see note in commentary): M-M0090348! [fragment in packet only]).

Small shrub from a thick woody taproot with the base reaching 7 mm in diameter, not appearing rhizomatous, much-branched from base, to 5 –8 dm tall. Young stems moderately pubescent with two-celled unbranched hairs, these geniculate between first and second cells and pointing apically; older stems glabrescent. Sympodia appearing unifoliate but the structure is difficult to evaluate. Leaf blades 1.5 –2.5 + 0.5– 1 cm, linear to elliptic, chartaceous to membranaceous, nearly glabrous to moderately pubescent adaxially and abaxially with 1– 2-celled unbranched hairs, these lying flat along blade; base acute, often decurrent into petiole; apex acute; petioles absent to 4 mm, moderately pubescent. Inflorescences with 1–3 flowers, the axes sparsely to moderately pubescent with unbranched hairs; peduncle absent or nearly so; rachis absent; pedicels 5–10 mm in flower, 10– 20 mm in fruit. Flowers with the calyx 2–4 mm long, the tube 1–2 mm, the lobes 2–3 + 0.5–1 mm, linear-lanceolate, moderately pubescent; fruiting calyx 5 –8 mm in length. Corolla 8–12 mm in diameter, rotate with abundant interpetalar tissue, membranaceous, the tube 1.5–2.5 mm, the lobes 1.5–2.5 + 0.8–1.5 mm, triangular, acute at apices, moderately pubescent abaxially with hairs like those of the leaves, glabrous adaxially. Stamens 1.5–2 mm; filaments ca. 0.5 mm; anthers 1.5–2 + 0.5–1 mm, oblong, the base cordate. Ovary glabrous; style 2.5–3 + 0.2–0.4 mm, exserted beyond stamens; stigma to 0.5 mm wide. Berries 5– 12 mm in diameter, globose, white to brown when dried, glabrous, appearing to be explosively dehiscent due to the presence of small tears and the wrinkled, deflated appearance of the dried fruits. Seeds 5–15 per fruit, ca. 2.5 + 1.5 mm, with a small notch where connected to placenta, the margin not swollen, the surface with fine raised ridges radiating from center to edges and shallow ridges running parallel to margin. Figure 9 .

Habitat and Distribution— Known from several localities in Pará State, Brazil and one collection from Tocantins State, Brazil at elevations of 50–200 m ( Fig. 5 ).

Phenology— Flowering materials were collected in June and October to December; fruiting specimens were collected from June to August and October through January.

Conservation Status— According to IUCN guidelines, the status of S. hoffmanseggii is deemed of Least Concern due to a sufficiently large number of collections over a relatively large area of occupancy. Many areas of Amazonia are under-collected, leading to difficulty in understanding the species’ distribution ( Milliken et al. 2011). Given this, it is highly likely that S. hoffmanseggii is more widespread and abundant than our data indicate.

Etymology— The epithet honors Johann Centurius Hoffmann Graf von Hoffmannsegg, a German botanist, entomologist, and ornithologist, who sent the sheet collected by F.W. Sieber (whom he employed to make entomological collections in Brazil and whose name he misspelled as Siber) to Sendtner. The specific epithet was originally published as hoffmanseggii , and we have retained the original spelling (as stipulated in Art. 60 of the ICBN; McNeill et al. 2006) rather than correcting it to hoffmannseggii, as spelling of surnames was quite fluid in the 19th century (he was also referred to as Graf von Haffmannsegg).

Additional Specimens Examined— BRAZIL. Pará: Mun. Belterra, Fordlândia, Praia Tabocal, 6 Jan 1948 (fl, fr), Black 48 – 2316 (IAN, SP); Rio Tocantins, nella foresta, Capuera roca presso Itacayuna, 1 Jul 1899 (fr), Buscalioni 3656 (MG, NY); Mun. Altamira, Ilha do Inferno Verde, 28 Nov 1986 (fl, fr), Dias 627 (MG); Mun. Marabá, Rio Tocantins, Ilha da Praia, 26 Jun 1949 (fl, fr), Fróes 24667 (IAN); Mun. Itaituba, São Luis do Tapajós, margens do Rio Tapajós, 23 Nov 1999 (fl, fr), Lisboa 6782 (MG); Mun. Conceição do Araguaia, Rio Araguaia, Praia de Santana, 23 Sep 2000 (fl), Lobato 2656 (MG); [Mun. Altamira] Rio Xingu, trecho compreendido entre o Rio Iriri e a cachoeira da Baleia, calha do Rio Xingu, 1 Oct, 2007 (fl, fr), Lobato 3282 (MG); Mun. Tucuruí, BR-422, km 45, Breu Branco, margem do Rio Tocantins, 5 Nov 1983 (fl), Ramos 1010 (INPA); Mun. Altamira, Rio Iriri, reserva indígena dos Araras, 12 Jan 1985 (fl, fr), Rosário 713 (MG); margem esquerda do Rio Tocantins, montante da Usina Hidrelétrica de Tucuruí, meia hora de barco, acima dos canteiros da obra, 7 Dec 1979 (fl, fr), Silva 112 (INPA, MG); Mun. Altamira, Rio Xingu, Ilha a margem direita subindo orio, em frente so acampamento de CNEC, cachoeira do Espelho, 6 Oct 1986 (fl, fr), da Souza et al. 223 (MG). Tocantins: Ilha do Bananal, foz do Rio Javaés, cerra do sujeito a inundacão periódica, 20 Aug 1978 (fr), da Silva 4868 (MG, MO, NY).

Notes— Solanum hoffmanseggii , although rarely collected, is morphologically and geographically distinct from the other species of sect. Gonatotrichum. This species is more robust than any of the other species except S. lignescens , which can be easily distinguished by its stellate hairs. Anomalously large plants of S. turneroides may reach nearly similar sizes; however, S. turneroides has much larger fruits and heterantherous flowers. The most similar species is S. olympicum, which occurs in southernmost Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. The two species share distinct geniculate hairs as well as seeds with raised ridges radiating from the center to the margins. Unlike S. hoffmanseggii , S. olympicum has much broader, larger leaves and is a more diminutive plant. Solanum hoffmanseggii is the only member of sect. Gonatotrichum known from northern Brazil. The Souza et al. 223 collection is unusual because the leaves are more ovate than other specimens of S. hoffmanseggii but other characteristics and its geographic location are consistent with this species. The nearest members of the section geographically are S. evolvuloides and S. olympicum, which are found in the drier northeastern state of Bahia and in deciduous forest of northern Goiás respectively.

Solanum hoffmanseggii has been problematic because it is known from relatively few collections and, until recently, the only known type was a mixed collection from M. This sheet contains a sterile leafy twig bearing branched hairs and a small handwritten label with the number “787” and a packet of the same material on the lower right hand side of the sheet; this may belong to a different species of Solanum . Another packet contains fragments including leaves, buds, and flowers of a different plant and is labeled “echtes S. hoffmanseggii Sendtn. ” by Bitter. However, the material in this packet does not seem to match that of the type of S. hoffmanseggii at BR because the leaves are larger, ovate, and more densely pubescent. This is likely material from a collection of S. olympicum, a species found much further south in Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, that Bitter thought was S. hoffmanseggii . The material on the Msheet is in our view different from that of the BR collection and should be treated with some skepticism. The specimen at BR was chosen as the lectotype because it is far superior in quality and is unequivocally original material. Because of the confusion with the type material of S. hoffmanseggii prior to the discovery of the excellent BR collection, Stern and Bohs (2009) erroneously referred to what is now known as S. olympicum as S. hoffmanseggii . It is now clear, however, that the widespread species of Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and the southernmost parts of Brazil is S. olympicum, while this unique species of Pará, Brazil is S. hoffmanseggii .

Figures

FIG. 9. Scan of lectotype of S. hoffmanseggii (Photo credit L. A. Mentz).

FIG. 5. Distribution of S. adscendens, S. evolvuloides, S. hoffmanseggii, S. olympicum, and S. turneroides.