Solanum pancheri
Not known
Restricted to the Grande Terre of New Caledonia, S. pancheri is found in low forest from 5–200 m elevation. This species can be an understory shrub in intact forest which is very unusual for Solanum on New Caledonia. Solanums in general prefer disturbance such as forest edges or openings. Whalen (1984) listed at a serpentine endemic, but several specimens indicate it growing on calcareous substrates as well.
Solanum pancheri is a member of subgenus Leptostemonum (the spiny solanums) and within that clade a member of section Irenosolanum.
Heine, H. 1976. Solanaceae. In: A. Aubréville & J. Leroy (eds.), Flore de La Nouvelle Calédonie et Dépendances 7: 119–205.
Jaffré, T., P. Bouchet & J.-M. Veillon. 1998. Threatened plants of New Caledonia: is the system of protected areas adequate? Biodiversity & Conservation 7: 109-135.
Solanum pancheri is part of a group of native New Caledonian Solanums with relatively small leaves and short shoots which typically bear the inflorescences. However, it does not closely resemble any other species of section Irenosolanum; its spatulate leaves appearing clustered on the short shoots give it a very unusual aspect. Furthermore, it is the only member of section Irenosolanum for which only 4-merous flowers are known. Though prickles are infrequently on specimens of S. pancheri, the species can have them. This is an important character since prickles are absent in many species of section Irenosolanum. Jaffré et al. (1998) listed S. pancheri as near threatened.
The lectotype chosen by Heine (1976) does not have the locality “Uaraï” or no “142” but was determined by Guillaumin and is annotated “type” apparently in his hand. The epithet “longipedunculatum” appears on Pancher s.n. (P 00300141), one of the original syntypes.
This species was named to honor Jean Armand Isidore Pancher (1814–1877) a French gardener and botanist who collected in New Caledonia.