Capsicum neei Barboza & X.Reyes, PLOS One 14(1): 19. 2019.

Barboza, Gloria E., Garcia, Carolina Carrizo, Bianchetti, Luciano de Bem, Romero, Maria V. & Scaldaferro, Marisel, 2022, Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 200, pp. 1-423 : 1

32. Capsicum neei Barboza & X.Reyes, PLOS One 14(1): 19. 2019.

Figs 94 , 95

Type.

Bolivia. Chuquisaca: Prov. Hernando Siles, a 4.1 km del puente nuevo de Monteagudo viniendo desde Monteagudo , sobre mano derecha, - 19.804617°S, - 64.019923°W, 16 Dec 2017, G.E. Barboza 4927 (holotype: LPB [LPB0003513]; isotypes: CORD [CORD00006935, CORD00006956], NY [04206098]) .

Description.

Low erect shrubs 0.70-2 (-3) m tall, with the main stem 1-1.5 cm in diameter at base, laxly branched above, the branches thin. Young stems slightly angled, fragile, green, glabrescent; bark of older stems light brown, glabrous; lenticels few. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate; leaf pair unequal in size, similar in shape. Leaves membranous, concolorous, glabrous or glabrescent on both surfaces and margins, with antrorse, simple, 4-7-celled, eglandular trichomes 0.2-0.5 mm long; blades of major leaves (5.5-) 6.7-11 cm long, 2.1-4 (-4.5) cm wide, elliptic or ovate, major veins 3-5 on each side of mid-vein, the base attenuate, the margins entire, the apex acute; petioles 0.3-0.8 (-1.5) cm long, moderately pubescent; blades of minor leaves 2.7-4.6 (-6) cm long, 1.2-1.8 (-2.3) cm wide, elliptic or ovate, the major veins 3-4 on each side of mid-vein, the base short-attenuate, the margins entire, the apex obtuse or acute; petioles 0.2-0.5 (-0.8) cm long, with similar pubescence as in major leaves. Inflorescences axillary, 2-4-flowers per axil, rarely flowers solitary; flowering pedicels (6.5-) 8-15 mm long, filiform, angled, pendent, slightly curved, non-geniculate at anthesis, green, with sparse antrorse eglandular trichomes and small dark glandular trichomes (stalk unicellular; head multicellular); pedicels scars inconspicuous. Buds ovoid, greenish-yellow. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 1.7-2.5 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, cup-shaped, with 10 veins clearly evident, green, moderately pubescent with eglandular trichomes, the calyx appendages 10, unequal, the five main appendages longer (0.7-) 0.9-1.75 (-2) mm long, emerging very close from the margin, the five secondary appendages shorter 0.2-0.8 (-1.2) mm long, emerging 0.8-1 mm below the margin, linear, green, with the same non-glandular trichomes of the calyx tube. Corolla (6-) 8-10 mm long, 6-8 (-12) mm in diameter, entirely yellow or with small greenish spots in the base of the lobes and tube outside and within, stellate with a thin interpetalar membrane, lobed nearly halfway to the base, the tube 3-4.5 mm long, pubescent adaxially with small glandular trichomes (head and stalk one-celled each), glabrescent abaxially, the lobes 3.5-5.5 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, ovate or triangular, spreading, glabrous adaxially and with sparse eglandular trichomes abaxially, the margins finely ciliate, the tips cucullate and papillate. Stamens five, slightly subequal; filaments 1.4-1.75 mm long, cream, inserted on the corolla ca. 1.2 mm from the base, with auricles fused to the corolla at the point of insertion; anthers (1.5-) 1.8-2 mm long, ellipsoid, light yellow, not connivent at anthesis. Gynoecium with ovary ca. 1.2 mm long, 1.3 mm in diameter, light green, ovoid or subglobose; ovules more than two per locule; nectary ca. 0.3 mm tall; styles homomorphic, 3.75 mm long, 0.8-1 mm beyond the anthers, cream, clavate; stigma ca. 0.2 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, somewhat bilobed, light green. Berry 4-9 mm in diameter, globose, slightly apiculate, green when immature turning to orange-coloured or red at maturity, pungent, the pericarp thick, opaque, with giant cells (endocarp alveolate); stone cells absent; fruiting pedicels (13-) 18-34 mm long, pendent, angled or terete, widened distally, green; the fruiting calyx ca. 4 mm in diameter, persistent, not accrescent, discoid, green, with an annular constriction at junction with the pedicel, the appendages 1-2 mm long, spreading or reflexed. Seeds 5-10 per fruit, 4-5 mm long, 3-4.25 mm wide, subglobose, pale yellow to white, the seed coat smooth and reticulate at margins (SM), reticulate-cerebelloid (SEM), the cells polygonal in shape, the lateral walls straight to wavy or sinuate; embryo not seen.

Distribution.

Capsicum neei is endemic to central and southern Bolivia (Chuquisaca and Santa Cruz Departments) (Fig. 92 ).

Ecology.

Capsicum neei is most commonly collected in the Boliviano-Tucumano Forest from the understorey of deciduous cloud forests, between 1,100 and 1,750 m elevation.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting from October to May.

Chromosome number.

Not known.

Preliminary conservation assessment.

EOO (13,880.224 km2); AOO (48 km2). Capsicum neei has been collected in more than 10 localities and many times in the last 23 years, in a recently Protected Area (National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area “Serranía Inao") and in nearby areas, which suggests that both the geographic range (EOO and AOO) and the population size are likely not to be significantly affected in the forthcoming years. Due to this, C. neei can be assessed as Least Concern (LC).

Discussion.

In phylogenetic analyses, Capsicum neei was recovered within the Bolivian clade, resolved as sister to C. caballeroi ( Barboza et al. 2019). The demonstrated pungency of the fruits and the presence of giant cells in the pericarp are characters also found in the remaining species of the Bolivian clade, but, to clarify the other species not yet included in a phylogeny (i.e. C. ceratocalyx ), the affinities of C. neei deserve to be studied in more detail.

Capsicum neei is morphologically most similar to the Bolivian C. minutiflorum in having stellate, yellow corollas and red fruits at maturity (Fig. 95I, J ). It is distinguished by its non-geniculate, pendent flowering pedicels and strongly-nerved calyx with 10 unequal appendages (Fig. 95C, E, F ). In contrast, C. minutiflorum has geniculate and erect flowering pedicels and a weakly-nerved calyx with five equal, short appendages (Fig. 87D, F ).

Capsicum neei is sympatric with C. baccatum var. baccatum , which has geniculate pedicels, a calyx with five subequal appendages, white corollas with greenish-yellow spots within and globose to ellipsoid upright red fruits.

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. material 4: Appendix 4.

Figures

Figure 87. Capsicum minutiflorum A plant B major leaf C flowering branch D flower bud on geniculate pedicel E flower, in front view F flower, in lateral view G fruiting branch H immature fruit I mature fruit. From Barboza et al. 4918. Photos by G. E. Barboza.

Figure 92. Distribution of C. mirum, C. muticum, C. neei and C. parvifolium.

Figure 94. Capsicum neei A flowering branch B inflorescence C flower bud D flower E glandular trichome of the pedicels F calyx G eglandular trichome of the outer surface of the calyx H glandular trichome of the inner surface of the calyx I opened corolla J glandular trichome of the inner surface of the corolla K eglandular trichome of the inner surface of the corolla lobes L gynoecium M fruit. From Barboza 4927. Drawn by S. Montecchiesi. Published in Barboza et al. (2019), reproduced with permission.

Figure 95. Capsicum neei A plant B leaves, abaxial surface C flower bud D flower, in lateral view E flower, in front view F flower, seen from behind G immature fruit H, I mature fruits J fruit, longitudinal section, showing the seeds A-G from Barboza et al. 4927 H-J from Barboza & Reyes 5040. Photos by G. E. Barboza. Modified from Barboza et al. (2019), reproduced with permission.