Solanum pyrifolium Lam., 1794

Knapp, Sandra, 2013, A revision of the Dulcamaroid Clade of Solanum L. (Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 22, pp. 1-432 : 207-211

31. Solanum pyrifolium Lam. , Tabl. Encycl. 2: 19. 1794 Figure 78

Solanum domingense Dunal, Prodr. [A.P. de Candolle] 13(1): 80. 1852. Type: Dominican Republic. Sin. loc., Anon. s.n. (holotype: G-DC [G00144900, F neg. 33943]).

Type.

“Martinica”, sin. loc. [?Hispaniola], J. Martin s.n. (holotype: P-LA [P00357682]; possible isotypes: G [G00070193, G00070194]).

Description.

Herbaceous or woody vine. Stems sparsely pubescent with minute, simple uniseriate trichomes 0.1-0.3 mm, these denser at the nodes; new growth pubescent with simple uniseriate trichomes ca. 0.2 mm long, especially along the veins. Bark of older stems greyish green. Sympodial units plurifoliate. Leaves simple, 3-7 cm long, 1.4-3.5 cm wide, elliptic or ob-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, membranous, glabrous above except for a few minute simple uniseriate trichomes along the midrib, pubescent along the veins beneath with simple uniseriate trichomes to 0.5 mm long; primary veins 5-6 pairs, joined in a prominent submarginal vein; base truncate and oblique or slightly cordate; margins entire; apex acute to acuminate; petioles 1.2-4 cm long, sparsely pubescent with simple uniseriate trichomes, especially adaxially, twining to aid climbing. Inflorescences terminal or occasionally leaf-opposed, 7-17 cm long, branching many times, with 5-100 flowers, very sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes like those of the stems; peduncle 0.5-1.9(-3) cm long, sparsely pubescent; pedicels gradually tapering, 1.2-1.5 cm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter at the base, 2-2.5 mm in diameter at the apex, nodding at anthesis, glabrous or with a few simple uniseriate trichomes, articulating in the basal 1/3 leaving a peg 0.5-0.8 cm long; pedicel scars (pegs) widely spaced 1-1.3 cm apart. Buds globose, becoming ellipsoid, the corolla strongly exserted from the calyx tube. Flowers all perfect, 5-merous. Calyx tube 1.5-2 mm long, a narrow cup grading into the pedicel apex, the lobes 1-1.5 mm long, quadrate with thickened margins, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes abaxially, densely pubescent adaxially. Corolla 2-2.6 cm in diameter, pale violet or blue, stellate, lobed ca. 2/3 of the way to the base, the lobes 0.8-1 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide, planar to slightly campanulate at anthesis, densely papillate on the abaxial surfaces, margins and tips, glabrous adaxially. Filament tube ca. 0.5 mm long, the free portion of the filaments ca. 1.5 mm, glabrous; anthers 3-3.5 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, ellipsoid, loosely connivent, poricidal at the tips, the pores lengthening to slits with age. Ovary conical, glabrous; style 0.7-0.8 cm long, glabrous; stigma clavate, the surface minutely papillate. Fruit a globose berry, ca. 1 cm in diameter, dark blue-black when ripe (fide Howard & Howard 9423); fruiting pedicels 1-2 cm long, gradually tapering to the apex, ca. 1 mm in diameter at the base, ca. 3 mm in diameter at the apex, glabrous; calyx lobes in fruit quadrate, paler than pedicel. Seeds>20 per berry, flattened reniform, 2-2.5 mm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, pale yellow, the surfaces minutely pitted. Chromosome number: not known.

Distribution

( Figure 79 ). Almost endemic to the island of Hispaniola, with a single collection from eastern Cuba; most specimens from the Dominican Republic; 120-1600 m elevation.

Ecology.

Along forest edges on limestone and in cloud forests.

Conservation status. Near Threatened (NT); EOO <45,000 km2 (NT) and AOO>10,000 km2 (LC). See Moat (2007) for explanation of measurements.

Discussion.

Solanum pyrifolium is similar to the other members of the Dulcamaroid clade growing in the Caribbean, Solanum boldoense of Cuba and the widespread and often cultivated Solanum seaforthianum . It can be distinguished from those species by its inflorescence that is narrow in outline rather than globose or broadly ellipsoid, its entire leaves that are generally narrower than those of Solanum boldoense with a distinct submarginal vein (leaves of Solanum seaforthianum are usually pinnatifid) and quadrate calyx lobes with a distinctly thickened margin. Dried specimens of Solanum pyrifolium are a distinctive greenish gray color, rather than the more blackened or green specimens of the other two taxa.

The articulation point on the pedicel of Solanum pyrifolium is always more basal than that of Solanum boldoense , but occasionally a short peg is left on the inflorescence axis at fruit or flower fall.

Although Lamarck’s protologue indicates that the plant collected by Martin came from Martinique ( “Martinica”), Solanum pyrifolium has never again been collected there. A similar situation exists for Solanum crotonoides Lam. (Leptostemonum clade), also collected by Martin from “Martinique”. I suspect that Martin did in fact also visit Hispaniola or that Martin (or those who labelled his collections back in Paris) used Martinique as a broad locality covering much of the Caribbean region (although other collections of his have labels stating "S. Domingo"), and that both these plants are true Hispaniolan endemics. Two sheets of Solanum pyrifolium at G collected by Martin are labelled “Domingo” and are probable isotype material.

Specimens examined.

Cuba. Oriente: Bayamesa, Sierra Maestra, Pico de la Bayamesa, on or near the crest, 1493 m, 16 Jul 1955, Harvard Course in Tropical Botany 671 (GH);

Dominican Republic. Arroyo Oro, 10 Oct 1946, Canela s.n. (JBSD); Liogier & Liogier 21981 (JBSD); El Convento, Constanza, 1200 m, 19 Jan 1975, Liogier & Liogier 22338 (JBSD); Santa Domingo, Martín s.n. (G); Azua: in Valle Rio Yaque de Sur, 1300 m, Aug 1912, Fuertes 1901 (A, E); La Sabana, at west edge of Sabana de San Juan, 1600 m, 17 Sep 1980, Mejía & Zanoni 8187 (JBSD); Bahoruco: Sabana de Silencio, Sierra de Neiba, 2012 m, 27 Jun 2005, Acevedo et al. 13175 (JBSD); Sabana de Silencio, entre los limites de la provincia de San Juan y Bahoruco, Sierra de Neyba, en los alrededores del Valle, 1985 m, 27 Feb 2001, Veloz et al. 2511 (JBSD); Barahona: La Hotte, La Hotte, between La Cueva and Placer Bonita, 1067 m, 1 Aug 1950, Howard 12292 (A, BM, LE); Morne La Jo, en la cima (nombre actual Firme La Jo como tiene el mapa), Sierra de Baoruco, 1550 m, 6 Jun 1984, Zanoni & García 30422 (JBSD); Distrito Nacional: prope Constanza, 1200 m, Jul 1910, Türckheim 3262 (BM, E, F, G, GH, K, MA, MO, S); Independencia: Sierra de Neiba, along the Carretera Internacional near the crest of the range, near Haitian border, vic. line between Sand Rafael and Independencia, 1700 m, 5 Aug 1967, Gastony et al. 525 (GH); Jimaní, 44 m, 25 Jul 1985, Grifo & Matuszak 216 (BH, MO); La Vega: El Cajón, extension of Pinar Bonito road just before saw mill of Pinar Parejo, S of Constanza, 1850 m, 16 Oct 1981, Dod s.n. (JBSD); La Ciénaga, south bank of Río Los Guanos, just above conflunece with Río La Izquierda, 1100 m, 15 Jul 1967, Gastony et al. 205 (GH); Constanza, 3 km al sur, en la carretera que va a San José de Ocoa, proximo a la entrada a Pinar Parejo, 1185 m, 12 Feb 1991, Jiménez & Mione 97 (JBSD); Constanza, Loma Redonda, Cienaga de la Culata, 1700 m, 30 Nov 1969, Liogier 17152 (GH); Arroyo La Siberia, about 17 km S of Constanza (via El Convento) on road to San José de Ocoa, 1600 m, 24 Jul 1980, Mejía & Zanoni 7600 (JBSD, MO); Valle Nuevo, c. 4 miles N, 1905 m, 4 Jan 1970, Terborgh 69 (A); Loma El Campanario, Cordillera Central, 4 km oeste de La Culata de Constanza, 1800 m, 8 Sep 1982, Zanoni et al. 23227 (JBSD); Loma El Campanario, base norte y subida de la loma (= Pico de Piedra en el mapa), 4 aero kilometros oeste de la Culata de Constanza, un valle entre dos lomas, ladera de El Campanario, 1300 m, 13 Oct 1983, Zanoni et al. 27520 (JBSD); Pinar Parejo, antes el poblado, 1769 m, 20 Jul 1989, Zanoni et al. 42952 (JBSD, MO); Monseñor Nouel: El Mechecito, Municipio de Bonao, Sección Blanco, cerca del Río Toro Flaco, la cima del bosque nublado, 1400 m, 10 Jun 1998, Peguero et al. 725 (B, JBSD); El Mechecito, Municipio de Bonao, Sección Blanco, alrededor de los conucos de Ramoncito Canela, 1250 m, 11 Jul 1998, Peguero et al. 733 (B, JBSD); Pedernales: Las Abejas Ravine, Sierra de Bahoruco Mountains, ca. 50 km from Cabo Rojo on the Alcoa Aluminum Road, ca. 10 km W of the end of the paved road (ca. 20 km N of Pedernales), 1100 m, Fisher-Meerow 804 (JBSD); Pedernales, above Los Arroyos, alogn the International Highway, 1500 m, 8 Nov 1969, Liogier 16758 (GH); Los Arroyos, 900 m, 25 Jun 1977, Liogier & Liogier 26973 (JBSD); Los Arroyos, 4 km NNE, 1550 m, 29 Jul 1990, Thompson et al. 7588 (JBSD); Las Abejas, 50 km from Alcoa Exploartion Company port of Cabo Rojo on road to (Las Mereceds) and Las Abejas, at road end, 1128 m, 15 Sep 1981, Zanoni & Mejía 16604 A (JBSD); Peravia: Loma Piedra Blanca, Cordillera Central, al oeste de Las Cayas, 3 horas caminando a pies hacia el souroeste de La Horma, San José de Ocoa, nacimiento del arroyo Las Cayas, 1520 m, 27 Jun 1984, Mejía et al. 931 (JBSD, MO); Loma del Rancho SE de San José de Ocoa, 130 m, 19 Aug 1987, Pimentel & García 777 (JBSD, MO, S); Cordillera Central, 33.9 km Norte del Parque Central de San José de Ocoa en la carretera a Constanza, sitio arriba del camino en la vecinidad de La Nuez, 1800 m, 7 Jul 1982, Zanoni et al. 21410 (JBSD, MO); Loma de La Valvacoa, Cordillera Central, lado Norte de la Loma, arriba del poblado rural de El Quinoal, 1300 m, 14 Jul 1982, Zanoni et al. 21552 (JBSD); El Caliche, Cordillera Central, 15 km N desde el Parque Central y 8-1-km desde el cruce de Los arroyos en el camino a Carmona, zona rural denominado El Caliche o Carrao, 1341 m, 21 Jul 1982, Zanoni et al. 21868 (JBSD); Cordillera Central, en le camino a La Nuez (de San José de Ocoa) a Tetero de Mejía, 1950 m, 24 Dec 1985, Zanoni & Cabral 35857 (JBSD); San José de Ocoa: Sierra de Ocoa, Prov. de Azua, San José de Ocoa, Bejucal, slope of Loma de los Palos Majados, 1250 m, 5 Mar 1929, Ekman H-11793 (K, S); San Juan: Pinar Grande, Sabana El Silencio, en la loma de Los Magueyes, 1920 m, 3 Dec 2000, Clase et al. 2403 (JBSD); Loma Mampin, El Carrote or Loma de la Laguna Guardarraya, N of Derrumbadero, of El Vallecito of El Cercado, 1700 m, 28 Sep 1980, Dod s.n. (JBSD); Piedra del Aguacate to Rio del Oro, 9 Oct 1946, Howard & Howard 9423 (A, BM, GH, S); Santiago: San José de las Matas, Montes Negros de Río Baito, Cordillera Central, sección Mata Grande, Parque A. Bermúdez, 1430 m, 23 Apr 1999, Clase et al. 1014 (JBSD, MO).

Haiti. Massif de la Selle, 28 Mar 1937, Bailey 202 (BH); Massif de la Selle, ravine on the Northern slope of Morne Cabaio, bottom of the ravine, 28 Aug 1924, Ekman H-1697 (A, F, G, GH, MO, S); Massif des Matheux, Grands-Bois, Morne Caya, 1300 m, 15 Mar 1926, Ekman H 5711 (S); near Mare Boeuf, Mornes des Commissaires, 1600 m, 2 Jan 1942, Holdridge 935 (BM, F).

Figures

Figure 78. Solanum pyrifolium Lam. (A-E drawn from Colella 1361 and M. Nee unvouchered photographs from Hispaniola F drawn from Gastony et al. 525). Illustration by Bobbi Angell.

Figure 79. Distribution of Solanum pyrifolium Lam.