Solanum turneroides
Not known.
A weedy species of roadsides, grassy pastures, gallery forest, alluvial flats, forest edges, and open shrubby vegetation found from central Bolivia to eastern Paraguay and the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and south into northwestern Argentina at 300-1950 m in elevation.
Solanum turneroides is a member of section Gonatotrichum (Stern et al. 2013), part of the Brevantherum Clade (sensu Weese & Bohs 2007).
Bohs, L. 1994. Cyphomandra (Solanaceae). Flora Neotropica Monographs 63: 1-175.
Nee, M. 1999. Synopsis of Solanum in the New World. Pp. 285-333.In: Solanaceae IV: advances in biology and utilization, eds. Nee, M., Symon, D.E., Lester, R.N. & Jessop, J.P. London: Kew Royal Botanic Gardens.
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.
The widespread distribution and abundant populations of S. turneroides give it an IUCN Red List Status of LC (Least Concern).
Strongly heterantherous flowers are only found in two members of the section, S. turneroides and S. evolvuloides. Solanum turneroides can be distinguished from S. evolvuloides by its lack of glandular hairs, its larger flowers, and its more widespread South American distribution. As noted by Nee (1989), the flowers of S. turneroides are not open in the heat of the day similar to those of S. evolvuloides (L. Giacomin, pers. obs.). When grown in the greenhouse at UT the flowers were open and very fragrant during the night and early morning. As the day gets warmer the flowers take on a wilted appearance. The pollinators of these flowers are unclear. Fragrance is unusual in the genus and is commonly only found in S. section Pachyphylla (Bohs 1994). The floral development is also of interest, with the stamens of equal length on the first day the flower is open and then the filament of the lowermost anther doubling in length the following day (Fig. 14C & D in Stern et al. 2013).
The fruits of S. turneroides are larger than those of the other members of section Gonatotrichum. The fruit wall is greatly expanded distally and may be up to 1.5 mm thick. The weakest point, and the point of dehiscence, is between the calyx lobes at the proximal end of the fruit where a small slit opens and the seeds are squirted out. Like S. olympicum and S. deflexum, the plants are self compatible; however, S. turneroides is not autogamous.
Although herbarium sheets rarely display the feature, S. turneroides seems to spread rhizomatously. The hairs of S. turneroides are also unique in the section. While they superficially appear to be geniculate, like those of S. olympicum and S. hoffmanseggii, closer inspection shows that the hairs are simply bent downward on the stem and lack the 90 elbow bend that characterizes the hairs of the latter two species. Using scanning electron microscopy, the base of these hairs appears to have a ring of small lateral cells, hinting that perhaps these hairs are reduced stellate hairs. If so, it may suggest that the simple hairs found in this and other species of section Gonatotrichum may represent evolutionary reductions from stellate hairs.
The protologue of S. turneroides cites many Hassler specimens as syntypes, all from Paraguay, but gives no herbarium locations. Hassler 4396 has been chosen from among the many syntypes cited because of the quality of the collection and its wide distribution in herbaria. The sheet from the Hassler herbarium at G is chosen as the lectotype.
Bitter cited four syntypes in his protologue for S. gonatotrichum, including Fiebrig 2732 and three un-numbered specimens collected in Salta, Argentina by Hieronymus & Lorentz, all from Berlin and destroyed. A duplicate specimen of the only numbered syntype, Fiebrig 2732, is at Munich and we have designated this as the lectotype because of the quality of the material and widespread photographs of the specimen.
Bitter’s protologue of S. geniculatistrigosum cited only a single specimen from B, the holotype, which was destroyed in 1942. Photos of this sheet remain at F, G, GH and WIS; a duplicate at BM has been designated the lectotype and isolectotypes have been seen at LE and P.
Bitter also cited only one specimen of S. flavistrigosum at S, making it the holotype. The only unusual aspect of this is that Bitter describes the flowers in detail, but the specimen only has buds.