Solanum cucullatum
| Solanum cucullatum | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Solanum cucullatum | ||||||||||||
| S.Knapp |
Solanum cucullatum is in Ecuador and Peru occurring type of the genus Solanum ( Solanum ). Together with the closely related species Solanum abitaguense , it has the largest buds, flowers, fruits and seeds within the nightshade section Geminata .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Solanum cucullatum forms small trees with heights of two to six meters, the young branches and leaves of which are densely covered with red papillae . The older branches are at least partially bare, gray, not winged and still covered with papillae. The trunk itself has a gray, smooth bark .
The leaves stand in pairs, are elliptical in shape, they have the greatest width in about the middle of the leaf. The tip of the leaf is pointed, the base is wedge-shaped. The upper side appears matt, the lower side is covered with tiny reddish-gray papillae along the leaf veins. The veins are very distinct on both the top and bottom. There are two leaf forms, the larger is 20 to 45 × 14 to 21 cm long, has seven to nine pairs of main veins and stands on 2.5 to 3.0 mm long petioles, on which the leaf blades run down winged. The smaller leaf shape differs not only in size from only 10 to 15 × 6 to 11 cm but also in the length of the petioles, which are 1.0 to 2.0 cm long here.
Inflorescences and flowers
The inflorescences are opposite to the leaves, occasionally they are forked. With five to 20 flowers, they reach a length of 5.0 to 7.0 mm, the stalk stems are close together, overlap and are corky. The tips of the egg-shaped buds are elongated and fall over the rest of the bud, obscuring it. The inflorescence stalks and buds, like the young shoots and leaves, are covered with papillae. Even before flowering, the petals protrude from the bud, through the caps that they form, it appears as if the bud has five points. The flower stalks are white and fleshy during flowering, about 0.75 mm in diameter and 1.2 to 1.5 cm long at the base, stand upright or bent down.
During flowering, the bell-shaped calyx is about 3.0 mm long, the calyx lobes are oblong-triangular and 3.0 to 5.0 mm long. The corolla has a diameter of 2.0 to 3.0 cm, the petals are fused to one another for about 1/3 of the length, the depressions between the fused parts and the edges of the corolla lobes are thin and irregularly jagged, the corolla lobes are flat and have two caps at the tip, one of which is formed from the tip itself, the other from a thickening bar over the entire inward-facing surface of the corolla lobes. The 5 × 1 to 1.5 mm large anthers are slightly asymmetrical in the flower, which makes two appear slightly higher. They open through teardrop-shaped pores at the tips. The free-standing parts of the stamens are about 0.5 to 1 mm long, the stamen tube visible within the flower is 1 to 1.5 mm long. The ovary is densely covered with pinkish-gray papillae, which are tiny during flowering, but grow with fruiting. The stylus is straight, about 7 mm long, the stamp is a widening at the tip of the stamp and is also finely papilous.
fruit
So far only unripe fruits have been observed, these are 3 cm large, spherical berries that are densely covered with pink-gray papillae, the flower stalks become woody during fruit formation, are bent back or upright, at the base 2 mm in diameter and about 2 cm long. The seeds are brownish and egg to kidney-shaped, the surface has a fine grain.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
Dissemination and exploration
This species occurs in the foothills and mountain rainforests of the western slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and neighboring Peru at altitudes between 700 and 2500 meters above sea level.
The species was first described in 1986 by Sandra Knapp , the subsequent molecular biological research revealed a chromosome number of and a classification in the species group around Solanum robustifrons within the Geminata clade of the genus Solanum .
The species is closely related to the species Solanum abitaguense , from which it is difficult to distinguish. Differences exist in the stems that are wingless in S. cucullatum , in the clearly more pronounced caps of the buds and in the extremely fleshy flowers with two caps on the crown tips. The leaves of Solanum cucullatum appear duller than those of Solanum abitaguense and the outside of the petals of Solanum cucullatum is dry and appears greenish-pink.
In smaller specimens of the species only the male flower parts seem to be fertile, while larger plants develop bisexual flowers. It seems that this property does not appear in Solanum abitaguense .
swell
- Solanaceae Source: Species description of Solanum cucullatum . Natural History Museum , London. On-line.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Solanum cucullatum at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis