Lycianthes repens, (Spreng.) Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Vereine

Costa-Silva, Rafael & Agra, Maria de Fatima, 2022, Taxonomic Revision of Lycianthes (Capsiceae, Solanaceae) in Brazil, Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 47 (3), pp. 642-666 : 654

2. LYCIANTHES REPENS (Spreng.) Bitter, Abh. Naturwiss. Vereine Bremen 24: 423. 1919. Boldoa repens Spreng., Syst. Veg. 1: 179. 1825 (1824). TYPE: BRAZIL, sine locci, s.d., Pohl 5407 (lectotype designated here: W! W00072932 [image!]; isolectotype: F 00874849 barcode V0124642F [image!].

Solanum violifolium Schott ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. (ed. 16) 4(2): 403. 1827. TYPE: BRAZIL. H. Schott 5407 (lectotype designated here: W barcode W00003638 [image!]; isolectotypes: F V0124642F [image!], W0072933 [image!]). Synonymized by Bitter (1919).

Herb, creeping, stoloniferous. Stem and branches terete, green; internodes pubescent, trichomes simple, multicellular, uniseriate, 0.3–0.8 mm long. Leaves geminate, anisophyllous; petiole 1.5–4.0 cm long, pubescent, trichomes simple, similar to the branches; lamina chartaceous, 0.8–3.0 3 1.5–4.0 cm, weakly discolorous, reniform, orbicular, rounded to obtuse at the apex, margin entire, base cordate, pubescent on both surfaces, the trichomes similar to the petioles. Inflorescences 1-flowered; pedicels 2.0– 3.8 cm long, curved at the apex, pubescent. Calyx campanulate, 2.0– 3.2 cm long., with 10 conspicuous appendages, in two series, 1.0–2.0 mm long, pilose. Corolla campanulate, lilac to purple, 0.8–1.1 cm diam, lobes elliptic, interpetalar tissue well-developed; filaments equal, 0.8–1.0 mm long, anthers oblong, 2.0–3.0 mm long; ovary conic, 1.0– 1.5 mm diam; style 3.0–5.0 mm long; stigma capitate. Fruit 1.0– 1.2 cm diam, calyx accrescent 1/2 its length or more; appendages 10, enlarged, 5 major alternating with five minor. Seeds 2.0–2.3 3 1.5 mm, lenticular flattened, reniform, reticulate. Figure 2 .

Distribution, Habitat, and Phenology —It is an unusual species endemic to eastern Brazil, occurring from Bahia to Parana State in preserved Atlantic Forest areas ( Fig. 9 ) at elevations from 700 to 1000 m. Flowers and fruits were observed from December to February.

Notes — Lycianthes repens is frequently confused with L. asarifolia ; both species have an herbaceous, creeping and stoloniferous habit. However, they can be distinguished by a set of characters described by Bitter (1919). Lycianthes repens has geminate and unequal leaves, shorter pedicels, lilac to purple corollas, and is usually densely pubescent on the vegetative organs (vs. L. asarifolia with solitary, larger, and equal sized leaves, longer pedicels, white corollas, and sometimes glabrescent vegetative parts). In addition, L. repens is endemic to Brazil and has a calyx accrescent to half the length of the fruit.

Although some authors consider L. asarifolia and L. repens to be a single species, it was possible to distinguish them as two different taxa based on their morphological characters, as well as by analyses of their nomenclatural types deposited in international herbaria (F, G, K, P, M, NY, US and W).

Lycianthes repens was described by Bitter (1919) based on Boldoa repens Spreng. , its basionym, which was described by Sprengel (1824 –1825) without information about the collector and the herbarium where the examined material would be deposited. When Bitter (1919) transferred it to Lycianthes several syntypes were cited for his new combination: Otto s.n. (B), Pohl 5407 (W), Schwacke 11360 (B), Sellow 626, 1545 (B), Dusen 32161 (B), and Dusen 11315 (S). The specimens cited as deposited at the Berlin herbarium were not found, and were probably destroyed. The need to choose a lectotype for Baldoa repens led us to designate a lectotype from among these existing specimens, and Pohl 5407 deposited at the Vienna Herbarium under the number W0072932, was chosen as the lectotype. The material is well-preserved with flowers, and has handwritten notes by Bitter on its label.

Sendtner (1846), in his treatment for the Flora Brasiliensis, described Solanum violifolium as having geminate leaves, a purple corolla, and the calyx accrescent to half the length of the fruit, as well as a pilose indument: the same set of characters observed and described by Bitter (1919) for Lycianthes repens in his treatment of Lycianthes .

Solanum violifolium was described by Sprengel (1827) from a specimen collected in Brazil, with handwritten notes on the herbarium label by Schott; it was synonymized by Bitter (1919) under the name of Lycianthes repens . Neither Sprengel nor Bitter, however, designated a type for this name, leaving the need to designate a lectotype for S. violifolium . We propose here that the specimen Schott 5407, deposited at the Vienna Herbarium (W) under the barcode W0003638, as the lectotype as it has an annotation by Schott on the herbarium label as “ Solanum violaefolium .”

Representative Specimens Examined — Brazil. — BAHIA: Itacare , Feb 1920, Riedel s.n. (NY) . — MINAS GERAIS: Cerro Azul, Cabeceiras do Ribeir ~ ao do Tigre , 7 Dec 1994, Hatschbach 61463 (HUEFS, M, MBM, MO) ; Lagoa Santa, s.d., Warming s.n. (C! NY barcode 00911177 [image!]); “provıncia Minarum”, sin. loc., Martius s.n. (M! barcode M0171960 [image!], MO!); Provinc. Minarum, in sylva perpetua prope Lousidium, St. John Bapt , s.d., Martius s.n (M! barcode M0171962 [image!]) ; sin. loc., s.d. Pohl 5407 (F); Matozinhos, Fazenda Cauaia, arredores da Lapa do Santo , 02 Dec 2006, Ceccantini et al. 3027 (SPF!, BHBC126594!) . — PARANÁ, sin. loc., Dec 1903, P. Dusen s.n (BM!) ; Fazenda Agua do Indio, Cianorte , 21 May 1969 ,

Figures

FIG. 2. Image of lectotype of Lycianthes repens, Pohl 5407 (W). Use of the specimen courtesy of the Herbarium of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

FIG. 9. Map of the geographic distribution of of L. amatitlanensis, L. asarifolia, L. coffeifolia, L. inaequilatera, and L. repens, based on herbarium specimen data.