Solanum thelopodium
Not known
Amazonia in Coombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, usually in flooded forest (igapó or tahuampa), but occasionally in terra firme forests, 100-450 m.
Solanum thelopodium is a member of the Solanum thelopodium species group, an isolated, well supported clade in the genus (Bohs, 2005).
Knapp, S. 2000. Revision of the Solanum thelopodium species group (section Anthoresis sensu Seithe, pro parte): Solanaceae.
Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus., London (Bot.) 30: 13-30.
Bohs, L. 2005. Major clades in Solanum based on ndhF sequences.
Pp. 27-49 in R. C. Keating, V. C. Hollowell, & T. B. Croat (eds.), A festschrift for William G. D’Arcy: the legacy of a taxonomist. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 104. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Solanum thelopodium tends to grow in flooded forests, rather than on terra firme, where its close relative, S. monarchostemon, occurs. Its distribution is more easterly in the Amazon basin than that of S. monarchostemon. Flower colour in S. thelopodium is usually pinkish, while flowers of S. monarchostemon are usually greenish or greenish white. Label data do indicate, however, that some plants of S. thelopodium have greenish or white flowers. Colour polymorphism for pink (or purple) and white flowers is common in the spiny solanums, but less so in the non-spiny members of the genus, but exceptions do occur.
Solanum thelopodium possesses a thick woody taproot that is only occasionally collected (see Fig. 2 in Knapp, 2000). This feature may be related to its flooded forest habitat. Plants submerged during the wet season probably die back, re-sprouting as the water recedes during the dry season and flowering a fruiting in a short space of time.