Capsicum muticum (Sendtn.) Barboza, 2022

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

31. Capsicum muticum (Sendtn.) Barboza comb. nov.

Fig. 93

Capsicum villosum Sendtn. var. muticum Sendtn., Fl. Bras. (Martius) 10(6): 144. 1846. Type. [Brazil. Rio de Janeiro]: "Serra d’Estrella,” [no date], H.W. Schott 5416 (lectotype designated by Barboza 2011, pg. 31: W [acc. # 0074661]); isolectotype: CORD [CORD00006937]).

Bassovia leptopoda Dunal, Prodr. [A. P. de Candolle] 13(1): 411. 1852. Type. [Brazil. Rio de Janeiro]: Rio de Janeiro, 1819, F. Sellow s.n. (holotype: BM [BM000798808]; isotypes: G-DC [G00131651], MPU [MPU023056]).

Capsicum leptopodum (Dunal) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 449. 1891. Type. Based on Bassovia leptopoda Dunal.

Capsicum villosum forma vimineum Wawra, Itin. Princ. S. Coburgi 1: 100. 1883. Type. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: "Petropolis; an gerodeten Stellen (Benod). Coll II 10 ", 1879 [coll. Princes August and Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg] (no material found).

Type.

Based on Capsicum villosum Sendt. var. muticum Sendtn.

Description.

Erect shrubs or subshrubs (0.80-) 1-2.5 m tall, with the main stem ca. 1.5 cm in diameter at base, much branched above, the branches dichotomously spreading in a typical “zig-zag” appearance. Young stems angled, fragile, green, densely pubescent with spreading, flexuous to rigid, white or slightly ferruginous (dried specimens), simple, uniseriate, (3-) 4-8-celled, eglandular trichomes 0.5-2 mm long; nodes solid, green or light purple; bark of older stems brown or dark brown, with ferruginous pubescence; lenticels few. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate; leaf pair markedly unequal in size, similar or dissimilar in shape. Leaves membranous, slightly discolorous, dark green above, light green beneath, moderately pubescent adaxially, with appressed-antrorse trichomes similar to those of the stems, densely pubescent abaxially and margins, with appressed (on the lamina) or spreading (on the veins), flexuous, 4-6-celled, eglandular trichomes 0.5-1.7 mm long; blades of major leaves 4.5-11 cm long, (1.5-) 2-3.6 cm wide, elliptic or narrowly elliptic, the major veins 5-8 on each side of mid-vein, the base attenuate, slightly unequal, the margins entire, the apex acuminate; petioles 0.5-1.5 (-2) cm long, densely pubescent; blades of minor leaves 2-4.3 cm long, 1-1.4 cm wide, elliptic, 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 (-1.5) cm long, densely pubescent. Inflorescences axillary, 2-5 flowers per axil, rarely flowers solitary; flowering pedicels 1-17 mm long, angled, erect, geniculate at anthesis, green, densely pubescent, with long spreading eglandular trichomes and small sparse glandular trichomes (stalk unicellular; head dark multicellular); pedicels scars conspicuous. Buds globose, inflated, yellowish-green. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx ca. 2 mm long, 2 mm wide, cup-shaped, pentagonal in outline, thick, green, strongly 5-nerved, densely pubescent with the same trichomes as the pedicels, calyx appendages five, up to 0.2 mm long, erect, green. Corolla 6-9 mm long, 12-14 mm in diameter, white with wide greenish-yellow pigmentation outside, white with predominance of greenish-yellow spots, sparse and diffuse purple or brown spots and a cream centre within, stellate with interpetalar membrane, lobed halfway or less of the way to the base, pubescent adaxially with a continuous ring of glandular trichomes (stalk long, 2-3-celled; head globose, peltate, unicellular) in the throat and base of the lobes, the tube 3-5 mm long, glabrous abaxially, the lobes 3-4 mm long, 3-4.3 mm wide, widely triangular, spreading, with eglandular trichomes especially on the veins abaxially, the margins papillate, the tips cucullate, papillate. Stamens five, equal; filaments 2.5-3.2 mm long, white, inserted on the corolla ca. 1.2 mm from the base, with auricles fused to the corolla at the point of insertion; anthers 1-1.5 mm long, ellipsoid, cream when young, purplish post-dehiscent, not connivent at anthesis. Gynoecium with ovary ca. 1.2 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, light green, subglobose; ovules more than two per locule; nectary ca. 0.4 mm tall, pale yellow; styles homomorphic, 4-4.5 mm long, exserted 0.5-0.7 mm beyond the anthers, white, clavate; stigma 0.1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, discoid, pale green. Berry 7-8 mm in diameter, globose, green when immature and pungent, mature fruit colour not seen; fruiting pedicels ca. 20 mm long, pendent and curved, angled, widened distally, green; fruiting calyx 4-4.5 mm in diameter, persistent, not accrescent, discoid, green. Seeds (4-) 8-11 per fruit, 3.25-3.75 mm long, 2.5-2.75 mm wide, C-shaped, brownish-black to black, the seed coat reticulate and tuberculate at margins (SM), reticulate with pillar-like outgrowths at margins (SEM), the cells rectangular to polygonal in shape, the lateral walls straight; embryo imbricate.

Distribution.

Capsicum muticum is confined to central-eastern Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil) (Fig. 92 ).

Ecology.

Capsicum muticum is a component of the montane forests in the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica); it was found growing in the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range (Serra d’Estrella, Serra dos Órgãos, Alto da Serra), mainly in the Dense Ombrophilous Forest (Floresta Ombrófila Densa) in full sun or semi-shade, between 1,000 and 1,300 m elevation.

Phenology.

Flowering from December to April. Fruiting from February to May.

Chromosome number.

Not known.

Common names.

None recorded.

Uses.

None recorded.

Preliminary conservation assessment.

EOO (15.520 km2); AOO (16 km2). Capsicum muticum is one of the rarest species. The few collections are mostly historical, date from the early 1800s to 1900s and have imprecise locations for the Serra dos Órgãos (Rio de Janeiro). The species was rediscovered in 1986 in Alto da Serra (Petropolis) and gathered several times at the same location. In this site, Capsicum muticum is severely threatened since a progressive decline of the habitat has been observed due to anthropogenic disturbance and serious deforestation of the area. Based on the extent of occurrence, the advanced fragmentation, loss of habitat and the few known records for C. muticum , we assign this species a threat status of Critically Endangered (CR; B1ab(iii,iv)).

Discussion.

Capsicum muticum is a member of the Atlantic Forest clade ( Carrizo García et al. 2016, as C. villosum var. muticum ). When Sendtner (1846) described C. villosum , he also proposed two varietal names: β Capsicum latifolium , a synonym of C. villosum (Hunziker, 1971; this treatment) and γ Capsicum muticum . Sendtner recognised var. Capsicum muticum muticum by its 5-angled, truncate calyx. Hunziker (1971) accepted this varietal name and distinguished var. Capsicum muticum villosum by its long calyx appendages vs. var. Capsicum muticum muticum with very short or no calyx appendages. Hunziker also stated that the varieties might not be distinct, based on the specimen Löfgren 5878 (US, SP), which he identified as var. Capsicum muticum muticum , even though it has well-developed appendages; this specimen is considered C. villosum in this treatment. Modern field explorations (Bianchetti and Hunziker in 1986; Barboza and Carrizo García in 2013; Barboza et al. in 2018) have provided more morphological data for C. muticum and, based on recent phylogenetic results that show that it is more closely related to C. mirabile than to var. villosum ( Carrizo García et al. 2016), we recognise this varietal name at species level.

Capsicum villosum and C. muticum are densely pubescent shrubs with long, spreading, flexuous, eglandular trichomes, geniculate flowering pedicels and stellate corollas (Fig. 93D-F ); it is also likely that C. muticum has the same greenish-golden yellow mature fruits and brownish-black seeds (mature fruits were not found in field explorations) as C. villosum . Capsicum muticum is distinguished by having a truncate calyx without appendages or with five minute appendages (not more than 0.2 mm long) delimiting a 5-angular calyx (Fig. 93E, G, H ) and white corolla with a predominantly greenish-yellow centre (Fig. 93F ); in contrast, C. villosum has a calyx with five well-developed linear to subulate appendages (0.3-2.5 mm long) and a white corolla with predominantly purple pigmentation on the lobes and throat (Fig. 121B-E ).

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. material 4: Appendix 4.

Figures

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

Figure 93. Capsicum muticum A habitat (degraded Atlantic Forest) B plant C stem and leaves showing the dense indument D flower bud on geniculate pedicel E flower, in lateral view F flower, in front view G immature fruit H fruit near maturity. From Barboza et al. 5032. Photos by G. E. Barboza.

Figure 121. Capsicum villosum A plant B flower bud on a geniculate pedicel C flower, seen from behind D flower before full anthesis, front view E flower at full anthesis, front view F fruiting branch, with mature and mature fruits A, B, E, F from Barboza et al. 1655, photos by G. E. Barboza C, D from Barboza & Deanna 5026 bis, photos by R. Deanna.