Lycianthes anomala Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Verein Bremen 24 [preprint]: 514. 1919

Dean, Ellen, Poore, Jennifer, Anguiano-Constante, Marco Antonio, Nee, Michael H., Kang, Hannah, Starbuck, Thomas, Rodrigues, Annamarie & Conner, Matthew, 2020, The genus Lycianthes (Solanaceae, Capsiceae) in Mexico and Guatemala, PhytoKeys 168, pp. 1-333 : 1

3 Lycianthes anomala Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Verein Bremen 24 [preprint]: 514. 1919 Fig. 10

Type.

Mexico. Veracruz: Río Blanco, Orizaba, Bourgeau 2536 (lectotype designated by Dean and Reyes 2018a, pg. 40: BR [000000552905]; isolectotypes: G [G00415142], GH [00077065], K [K000063121], MPU [MPU310734], P [P00385091, P00385092], S [cited by Bitter (1919), but not seen]).

Description.

Herb, shrub, to tree, sometimes epiphytic, semi-epiphytic, or vine-like, erect, 2-10 (15) m tall. Indument of tan to brownish, uniseriate, multicellular, simple or dendritically branched, eglandular, spreading trichomes 0.25-0.5 mm long. Stems green when young, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, not compressed upon drying in a plant press, quickly becoming woody (glossy pale grey with longitudinal wrinkles upon drying); upper sympodial branching points mostly monochasial. Leaves simple, the leaves of the upper sympodia usually paired and unequal in size, the larger ones with blades 10-25 × 5-15 cm, ovate, oblong, or elliptic (rarely obovate), the smaller ones with blades 2-10 × 1.5-5 cm, orbicular to ovate, the leaf pairs similar in texture, coriaceous, usually glabrous adaxially, abaxially with tufts of trichomes in the axils of the major veins, the base rounded to cuneate, usually oblique, the margin entire, usually undulate, the apex acute to acuminate, the petiole 1-4 cm long, the larger leaf blades with 6-9 primary veins on each side of the midvein. Flowers solitary or in groups of 2-6, axillary, erect; peduncles absent or present as a short stub with many pedicel scars, 5-10 mm long; pedicels 8-20 mm and erect in flower, to 35 mm long and erect in fruit, glabrous; calyx 4-5 mm long, 6-8 mm in diameter, widely campanulate, glabrous, coriaceous in texture, the margin truncate, very well developed, with 5-10 reflexed appendages, 0.25-1 mm long (sometimes just a bulge), connate at their bases, emerging 1-2 mm below the calyx rim; fruiting calyx enlarged, widely bowl-shaped, 3-4 mm long, 8-10 mm in diameter, the appendages 0.5-2 mm long, reflexed as a connate unit; corolla 1-1.5 cm long, reflexed in orientation, stellate in outline, divided 1/3-1/2 of the way to the base, with scant interpetalar tissue, the lobes purple adaxially, nearly glabrous; stamens equal, straight, the filaments ca. 1 mm long, glabrous, the anthers 4-6 mm long, elliptic, connate at edges to adjacent anther, forming a cone, yellow, glabrous, poricidal at the tips, the pores dehiscing distally and opening into longitudinal slits that extend ca. 1/3 of the way from apex to base, the slit forming between the thecae of adjacent anthers; pistil with glabrous ovary, the style ca. 8 mm long, linear, straight to curved, glabrous, the stigma truncate to capitate. Fruit a berry, 7-10 mm long, 7-10 mm in diameter, globose to depressed globose, green to white when immature, purple at maturity, glabrous, lacking sclerotic granules. Seeds ca. 100 per fruit, 1-1.5 × 1-1.25 mm, flattened, slightly curved, triangular to depressed-ovate in outline, yellow, the surface reticulum with tight, minute serpentine pattern with shallow luminae.

Chromosome number.

Unknown.

Distribution and habitat.

Mexico (Oaxaca, Veracruz), in tropical moist forest and cloud forest, sometimes in sandy soil or on limestone, often in disturbed areas, such as secondary forest or coffee plantations, 450-1300 m in elevation (Fig. 11 ).

Common names and uses.

None known.

Phenology.

Flowering specimens have been collected June through November. Specimens with immature fruits have been collected June through March. Specimens with mature fruits have been collected June through February. Possibly flowering and fruiting throughout the year in some locations. The diurnal movements of the corolla of this species are unknown, but it has been noted that the flowers are sometimes open at midday ( Nee 1986).

Preliminary conservation status.

Lycianthes anomala is a Mexican endemic, represented by 20 collections, none of which are in protected areas. The EOO is 7,552.355 km2, and the AOO is 80 km2. Based on the IUCN (2019) criteria, the preliminary assessment category is Endangered (EN).

Discussion.

This species is similar to the Central American species L. synanthera in having pale woody stems with petioles that darken upon drying, tufts of trichomes in the vein axils of the abaxial side of the leaf, and fused anthers that dehisce by slits formed between adjacent thecae. It differs from that species in having connate, reflexed appendages on the calyx (versus no appendages in L. synanthera ) and purple fruits (versus yellow/orange fruits in L. synanthera ). Reyes-Cornejo (2015) indicated that this species is also found in Central America, and we have studied specimens from Costa Rica and Panama that resemble L. synanthera but have calyx appendages. These specimens need further study.

Representative specimens examined.

Mexico. Oaxaca: Santa María Tlalixtac, orillas del Río Cóndor, brecha entre Santa María Tlalixtac y Chiquihuitlán de Benito Juárez, [17.9541, -96.7179], 675 m, 25 Nov 2004, G. Juárez-García 877 (MEXU). Veracruz: Ladera de cerro al E de Coetzala, 18.7806, -96.9144, 650 m, 11 Nov 2001, A. Rincón G. 2811 (IEB, MEXU, XAL).

Figures

Figure 10. Image of herbarium specimen of L. anomala, Diggs 2731 (MO). Specimen used with permission from the Missouri Botanical Garden (http: // www. tropicos. org).

Figure 11. Map of geographic distribution of L. anomala based on herbarium specimen data.