Capsicum hunzikerianum Barboza & Bianch., Syst. Bot. 30(4): 867. 2005.

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

23. Capsicum hunzikerianum Barboza & Bianch., Syst. Bot. 30(4): 867. 2005.

Figs 76 , 77

Type.

Brazil. São Paulo: Salesópolis, Boracéia, 30 Nov 1951, M. Kuhlmann 2785 (holotype [2 sheets]: CORD [CORD00003944 (sheet A) and CORD00003945 (sheet B); isotypes: CEN [CEN00109451], SP [ SP001623 , acc. # 79274], SPSF [acc. # 30213]) .

Description.

Robust erect shrubs 1-3 m tall, much branched above, the branches much leafy. Young stems terete or slightly 3-angled, rigid, green with violet spots, glabrous; nodes solid, green or purple; bark of older stems fissured, brown, glabrous; lenticels absent. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate; leaf pair unequal in size, similar or dissimilar in shape. Leaves coriaceous, discolorous, dark green above, light green beneath, glabrous on both sides; blades of major leaves (7.5-) 9.5-20 (-25) cm long, 2.5-7 (-8.5) cm wide, ovate to elliptic, the major veins (4-) 5-7 on each side of mid-vein, the base attenuate and unequal, the margins entire, slightly revolute, the apex long-acuminate; petioles (0.5-) 0.8-2 (-3.5) cm long, green with dark lilac spots, glabrous; blades of minor leaves 2-4.5 cm long, (0.8-) 1-2 cm wide, ovate, the major veins 3-4 on each side of mid-vein, the base attenuate, the margins entire, the apex acute; petioles 0.2-0.5 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, 2-4 (-5) flowers per axil, rarely flowers solitary; flowering pedicels (13-) 20-38 (-48) mm long, terete or slightly angled, erect or slightly spreading, geniculate at anthesis, green, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with minute, few glandular trichomes (stalk unicellular; head dark, multicellular) and some sparse antrorse eglandular trichomes; pedicels scars conspicuous, corky. Buds ovoid, cream or white. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 3.5-5 (-6.5) mm, 4-4.5 mm wide, cup-shaped, membranous and cream amongst the veins, the veins thick and pale green, glabrous, the calyx appendages 5 (6-10), unequal, pale green, erect to spreading, cylindrical, inserted very close to the margin, the five main appendages longer 2.5-4.5 (-5) mm long, the 1-5 secondary appendages shorter 1-2 mm long. Corolla 10-14 (-16) mm long, (10-) 15-23 mm in diameter, thick, white with greenish-yellow lines outside, mostly white with diffuse brown-purple spots at the base of each lobe and throat and a narrow greenish-yellow centre within, stellate with thin interpetalar membrane, lobed 1/3 of the way to the base, glabrous abaxially and adaxially, the tube 5-7.5 mm long, the lobes 6-8 mm long, (3-) 3.5-5 (-6) mm wide, broadly triangular, spreading, the margins involute and finely ciliate, the tips strongly cucullate forming a hood-like structure, papillate. Stamens five, equal; filaments (1.5-) 2-3 (-3.5) mm long, white or cream, inserted on the corolla ca. 1.5-2 mm from the base, with auricles fused to the corolla at point of insertion; anthers (2-) 2.5-4 mm, ellipsoid, grey, not connivent at anthesis. Gynoecium with ovary 1-2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm in diameter, light green, subglobose; ovules more than two per locule; nectary ca. 0.3 mm tall; styles homomorphic, (4-) 5-6 mm long, exserted ca. 1 mm beyond the anthers, cream, clavate; stigma 0.3 mm long, 0.8-0.9 mm wide, somewhat discoid-bilobulate, light green or cream. Berry 6-10 mm in diameter, globose, slightly depressed, light green when immature, greenish-golden yellow at maturity, deciduous, pungent, the pericarp thin, translucent, with giant cells (endocarp alveolate); stone cells 3-5, spherical, 0.17-0.22 mm in diameter; fruiting pedicels (23-) 35-50 mm long, curved or pendent, terete, strongly widened at the apex, green; fruiting calyx 4-7 mm in diameter, persistent, not accrescent, green, discoid, the appendages 3-6 (-7) mm long, green, spreading or reflexed. Seeds 10-20 per fruit, 2.5-3.2 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, C-shaped or ellipsoid, black, the seed coat reticulate and tuberculate at margins (SM), reticulate with pillar-like outgrowths at margins (SEM), the cells polygonal in shape, the lateral walls straight; embryo imbricate.

Distribution.

Capsicum hunzikerianum is only known from a very restricted area in south-eastern Brazil ( São Paulo State) (Fig. 78 ).

Ecology.

Capsicum hunzikerianum inhabits the montane forests of the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), in Dense Ombrophilous Forest (Floresta Ombrófila Densa), in wet, shady or semi-shady or marshy places, at medium elevations (800-1,100 m).

Phenology.

Flowering from November to May. Fruiting from late January to May.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 2x = 26 (Barboza et al. 5041, see Table 2 ).

Common names.

None recorded.

Uses.

None recorded.

Preliminary conservation assessment.

EOO (1,456.094 km2); AOO (40 km2). Capsicum hunzikerianum grows in two rain forest reserves in the State of São Paulo, the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar-Núcleo Cunha and the Estação Biológica da Boracéia. In both protected areas, few subpopulations have been recorded. Based on the small extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, the low number of the different locations (= 5) and a decline in the area of occupancy, we assign C. hunzikerianum the threat status of Endangered (EN; B1ab(ii).

Discussion.

Capsicum hunzikerianum is probably a member of the Atlantic Forest clade, but has not yet been included in phylogenetic analyses. It shares corolla shape and colour, fruit colour and pungency, seed colour, seed coat ornamentation, chromosome number, habitat and distribution of the members of this clade. It is a distinct species of the montane forest of Serra do Mar distinguished by its general glabrescence, large and coriaceous leaves and large flowers. The calyx is the largest in the genus, reaching 6.5 mm long, with five long appendages (up to 5 mm long) and 1-5 unequal, shorter appendages (1-2 mm long). The corolla is unusual for its large size and white colour with few brown-purple spots (Fig. 77 ).

Capsicum hunzikerianum is sympatric with the morphologically similar C. schottianum . The two species share geniculate pedicels, stellate corollas and fruit and seed features, but they differ in the corolla size (10-16 mm long in C. hunzikerianum vs. 7-10 mm long in C. schottianum ), number of calyx appendages (5-10 vs. 0-5 minute appendages), consistency of the leaves (coriaceous vs. membranous) and general indumentum (plants glabrous vs. plants glabrescent to pubescent).

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. material 4: Appendix 4.

Figures

Figure 76. Capsicum hunzikerianum A flowering branch B flower C calyx D sector of opened corolla E, F anthers, dorsal and ventral views, respectively G stigma H fruit I seed A-G from Kuhlmann 2785, H, I from Mattos and Mattos 14254. Drawn by L. Ribulgo. Published in Barboza and Bianchetti (2005), reproduced with permission.

Figure 77. Capsicum hunzikerianum A plant B flowering branch C flower bud D, E flowers, in front view, with different corolla colour patterns F flower, seen from behind G immature fruit H mature fruit I seed A, E from Bianchetti et al. 1537, photos by L. Bianchetti B, C, D, F, H, I no specimen vouchers, photos taken in situ by C. dal Zovo (Associazione PepperFriends) G from Barboza 5041, photo by G. E. Barboza.

Figure 78. Distribution of C. hunzikerianum, C. longidentatum and C. longifolium.