Solanum fiebrigii Bitter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 556. 1912.

Knapp, Sandra, Saerkinen, Tiina & Barboza, Gloria E., 2023, A revision of the South American species of the Morelloid clade (Solanum L., Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 231, pp. 1-342 : 1

17. Solanum fiebrigii Bitter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 556. 1912.

Figs 3A , 53 , 54

Solanum codonanthum Bitter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11: 235. 1912. Type. Argentina. Tucumán: Siambón, Jan 1874, P.G. Lorentz & G. Hieronymus 818 (lectotype, designated by Barboza and Hunziker 2005, pg. 61: CORD [CORD00004182]).

Type.

Argentina. Salta: Santa Victoria , "Toldos prope Bermejo", 20 Dec 1903, K. Fiebrig 2421 (lectotype, designated by Barboza and Hunziker 2005, pg. 61: F [v0075528F, acc. # 621246, fragment of destroyed B duplicate]; isolectotype: B [destroyed, F. neg. 2712]) .

Description.

Herbs or herbaceous shrubs, 0.5-2 m high, erect or the branches somewhat spreading. Stems terete to slightly angled with longitudinal ridges, densely to moderately pubescent with transparent glandular and eglandular 5-9-celled simple uniseriate trichomes 1-3 mm long, the terminal gland if present single-celled, glabrescent with age; new growth densely pubescent with glandular and eglandular 5-9-celled trichomes like those of the stems, viscid to the touch; bark of older stems pale greenish yellow. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves not geminate. Leaves simple or shallowly toothed, the blades (4-) 6-15 (-16) cm long, (2.2-) 3-8.2 cm wide, ovate or narrowly elliptic, widest in the lower half or near the middle, membranous, concolorous; adaxial surfaces sparsely pubescent with transparent glandular and eglandular simple uniseriate trichomes 1-4 mm long, these 3-5-celled, spreading, denser along the midrib and principal veins; abaxial surfaces with similar pubescence on the lamina, but the trichomes much denser along the midrib and veins; principal veins 6-8 pairs, densely pubescent; base abruptly truncate then attenuate onto the petiole, usually somewhat oblique; margin serrulate to very shallowly and unevenly toothed, with 7 to 13 (-15) teeth ca. 2 mm long, these directed distally, the sinuses narrow; apex acuminate; petiole 0.5-2 (-4.5) cm long, mixed glandular and eglandular pubescent with transparent simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems. Inflorescences internodal, forked or further dichotomously branched, 2.5-6 cm long, with 10-20 flowers borne near the tips of the branches, moderately to densely pubescent with mixed glandular and eglandular transparent simple uniseriate trichomes like those of the stems; peduncle 1-2 cm long; pedicels 0.6-1 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter at the base, 1-1.3 mm in diameter at the apex, spreading at anthesis, pubescent with transparent glandular and eglandular simple uniseriate trichomes 0.5-1 mm long, articulated at the base; pedicel scars irregularly spaced 0.5-1.5 mm apart, enlarged and small projections from the axis, darker in herbarium specimens. Buds ovoid, the corolla strongly exserted from the calyx tube before anthesis. Flowers 5-merous, cosexual (hermaphroditic). Calyx tube 1.2-1.5 mm long, conical, the lobes (0.8-) 1.5-2 mm long, slightly unequal, deltate or occasionally triangular from elongate apices, pubescent with glandular and eglandular trichomes like those of the rest of the inflorescence, to 1.5 mm long and usually longer than those of the pedicels. Corolla 1.1-1.5 cm in diameter, campanulate, light purple or violet, lobed less than 1/8 of the way to the base, the lobes 1-1.5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, reduced to 5 inconspicuous introrse tips in live plants, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely papillate with minute transparent eglandular trichomes, these denser near the tips. Stamens equal; filament tube to 0.5 mm; free portion of the filaments 1.5-2 mm long, adaxially sparsely pubescent with tangled, transparent eglandular simple uniseriate trichomes; anthers 3-4(5) mm long, 1-1.6 mm wide, ellipsoidal to obellipsoidal and widest in the distal third, yellow, poricidal at the tips, the pores lengthening to slits with age. Ovary ovoid to conical, glabrous; style 7.5-10 mm long, straight, exserted beyond the anther cone, pubescent in the basal third with tangled eglandular trichomes, fully included in the campanulate corolla; stigma capitate to saddle-shaped and somewhat bilobed, the surfaces minutely papillate. Fruit a globose berry, 0.6-0.8 cm in diameter, green when ripe, the pericarp thin, matte, opaque, glabrous; fruiting pedicels 1-1.2 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter at the base, 1-1.3 mm in diameter at the apex, deflexed, not persistent; fruiting calyx not to very slightly accrescent, appressed to the berry, the tube 2-2.5 mm long, the lobes 2-2.5 mm long, somewhat glabrescent. Seeds 40-60 per berry, ca. 1.5 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, flattened and teardrop shaped, pale tan, the surfaces minutely pitted, the testal cells pentagonal in outline. Stone cells 3-4(-6) per berry, 0.5-0.6 mm in diameter, scattered through the mesocarp, cream-coloured. Chromosome number: 2n = 24 ( Chiarini et al. 2017; voucher Chiarini 1227).

Distribution

(Fig. 55 ). Solanum fiebrigii occurs from northern Argentina (Provs. Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, and Catamarca) to Bolivia (Depts. Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Tarija). A few collections have also been registered from southern Peru (Dept. Cusco).

Ecology and habitat.

Solanum fiebrigii is found in understory of montane and premontane forests ( ‘yungas’) with rich and moist soil and often occurs along streams and in other damp microhabitats; most commonly collected at middle to high elevations from 1,000 to 4,100 m, less often from 500 to 800 m elevation.

Common names and uses.

Bolivia. La Paz: chini chincha (Girault B. s.n.). No uses recorded.

Preliminary conservation status

( IUCN 2022). Least Concern [LC]. EOO = 1,079,092 km2 [LC]; AOO = 356 km2 [VU]. Solanum fiebrigii is widespread plant of disturbed areas; it occurs within protected areas in Argentina (e.g., Parque Nacional Calilegua).

Discussion.

Solanum fiebrigii along with the morphologically similar S. sinuatiexcisum were segregated into the small subsection Solanum Campanulisolanum Bitter ( Bitter 1912b; Barboza and Hunziker 2005) based on the campanulate corolla shape and dense long pubescence that gives the plants a ‘shaggy’ appearance. Särkinen et al. (2015b) showed they are sister species but nested in the larger Black nightshade clade. Solanum fiebrigii differs from S. sinuatiexcisum in its forked (versus unbranched) inflorescence, its deltate to triangular calyx lobes that are shorter than or equal in length to the calyx tube (versus long-triangular calyx lobes that are always longer than the calyx tube).

Bitter (1914a) reported up to 15 stone cells per berry for S. fiebrigii (as S. codonanthum ); none of the many berries we have examined has had this many stone cells. The vouchers he cited (Lorentz & Hieronymus 181, 899) were in the Berlin Herbarium; duplicates we have examined have had either no berries or only four stone cells per berry.

Figures

Figure 3. Representative flowers of South American morelloids A campanulate purple corollas in forked internodal inflorescences in S. fiebrigii B pentagonal white corollas in S. annuum C broadly stellate purple corollas with long-exerted styles in S. pentlandii D broadly stellate white corollas with slightly exerted globose stigmas in S. radicans E deeply stellate pale yellow corollas in S. huayavillense F deeply stellate purple corollas with dark central eye colouration in S. salicifolium G bumblebee visiting and buzzing the anther cone in S. cochabambense H variation in corolla shape, size and colouration within a single individual of S. cochabambense (A Barboza et al. 3548 B Barboza et al. 3495 C Knapp et al. 10248 D Knapp et al. 10277 E Barboza et al. 3531 F Chiarini et al. 819 G Saerkinen et al. 4036 H Knapp et al. 10669). Photos by S. Knapp and T. Saerkinen.

Figure 53. Solanum fiebrigii A flowering branch B flower C variation in leaf shape and margin D detail of adaxial leaf surface E detail of abaxial leaf surface F flower bud G dissected flower H maturing fruit (A, F, G Wood 1810 B, D, E, H Brooke 5851 C Renvoize 3477). Illustration by R. Wise.

Figure 54. Solanum fiebrigii A habit B inflorescences with buds C inflorescence with flowers at full anthesis D maturing fruits (A-D Barboza 3548).

Figure 55. Distribution map of Solanum fiebrigii.