Solanum deflexum
Not known.
Weedy in grazed areas, along roadsides, and disturbed areas in dry forests from southern Arizona, USA through Mexico to Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica at elevations from 0-1550 m.
Solanum deflexum is a member of section Gonatotrichum (Stern et al. 2013), part of the Brevantherum clade sensu Weese & Bohs 2007).
Shaw, E.A. 1987. Charles Wright on the Boundary 1849-1852, or Plantae Wrightianae Revisited. Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Publishing Corp.
Stern, S., L. Bohs, L. Giacomin, J. Stehmann and S. Knapp. 2013. A revision of Solanum section Gonatotrichum. Systematic Botany 38: 471-496.
Weese, T.L. and L. Bohs. 2007. A three-gene phylogeny of the genus Solanum (Solanaceae). Systematic Botany 32: 445-463.
LC (Least Concern) - The widespread distribution and abundant populations of S. deflexum give it an IUCN Red List Status of LC (Least Concern).
Solanum deflexum and S. lignescens are the only two species in the section that occur in Central America. The straight, multicelled, unbranched hairs of S. deflexum are unlike the hairs of S. hoffmanseggii, S. olympicum, and S. turneroides that bend up or down the stem, and unlike S. lignescens the hairs are not stellate. Solanum lignescens is sympatric with S. deflexum but the latter is a diminutive plant, reaching 30 to rarely 40 cm in height and unlike S. lignescens is not woody. The plants are frequently many branched at the base, creating a “flat” appearance that is distinct from the upright appearance of other members of the clade. Solanum deflexum is also unique in that the first inflorescence often appears with the first pair of leaves after the cotyledons, giving the appearance of flowering while still a seedling (Nee 1989). The seeds of S. deflexum have a pronounced notch where they attach to the placenta and the outer margin of the seeds is swollen. The flowers of S. deflexum reach 1 cm in diameter and are therefore much smaller than those of S. turneroides. The anthers are all equal in length, unlike the slightly heterantherous S. olympicum and the strongly heterantherous S. turneroides and S. evolvuloides. Unlike other members of the clade, S. deflexum is rarely rhizomatous, although it does appear in patches, likely due to the explosive dehiscence of the fruits. From greenhouse observations, the fruits of S. deflexum do not appear to have as great a pressure buildup as those of S. olympicum or S. turneroides and therefore do not seem to have the same dispersal abilities. The leaves of S. deflexum are moderately to densely pubescent, in contrast to those S. manabiense, which are nearly glabrous.
In the description of S. deflexum, Greenman lists three collections, Nelson 2876a, Pringle 6400, and Smith 403, but none was designated as the type. Smith 403 was chosen as the lectotype from among the syntypes because of the quality of the specimen, with both flowering and fruiting material. All of the many sheets of Pringle 6400 are fruiting specimens only. Nelson 2876a is comprised of plants that are unusually large for the species and are not reflective of the species as a whole.
The type of Salpichroa wrightii exemplifies the problems botanists have encountered with collections from Charles Wright along the boundary with Mexico. In the protologue, Gray (1886) gives the collection locality as “Arizona on the Sonoita” and the type as Wright 1692. Consultation of Shaw’s (1987) book about Wright’s expeditions and W. T. Kittredge’s label on the lectotype sheet, presumably with information taken from Wright’s field notes, indicates that his field number for this collection is 549 and it was made on September 17, 1851. The specimens, all apparently belonging to the same gathering, have been distributed with both the numbers 1592 and 1692. In fact, on the lectotype sheet at GH the handwritten “1592” appears to have been changed to “1692”. Because the distribution number 1692 does not exist for Wright’s Solanaceae collections according to Shaw (1987), it is apparent that all the collections should bear the distribution number 1592 and the protologue contains a typographical error.