Abstract Detail

Systematics

Huerta, Mayra [1], Battenberg, Kai [1], Dean, Ellen [1], McNair, Daniel [1].

A morphological taxonomic investigation of the species limits of Lycianthes inaequilatera and Lycianthes amatitlanensis (Solanaceae).

The genus Lycianthes is the closest relative of Capsicum, in the tribe Capsiceae, in the Solanaceae, an economically important plant family with both medicinal and food crops. Lycianthes was first studied as a whole by the German taxonomist Georg Bitter in 1919. He classified 134 species into subgenera, sections, and series, however he did not provide a proper identification key. One of the series Bitter studied was Strigulosae, a mostly South American group of 23 species with strigose hairs. Two of these species, Lycianthes amatitlanensis and L. inaequilatera, are widespread, and there has been confusion as to how to distinguish them. Both species are perennial subshrubs and have an arching to erect habit. Stems are strigose but become somewhat glabrescent with age. Leaves are geminate, elliptic to widely ovate, apically acuminate, and have prominently oblique bases. Both species have stellate diurnal flowers that are white to yellowish in color. The calyces are bowl-shaped with ten linear to curved calyx appendages. Fruits are glabrous, red to purplish berries. To test whether these taxa should be considered one species or two, leaf, pubescence, floral, and fruit characteristics were measured on specimens from Mexico and Central and South America that had been identified as these two species. A Principal Components Analysis was performed, using the “stats package” in the program R. Our results indicate that the two species can be separated based on leaf hair characters.

1 - UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity, Plant Sciences, Mail Stop 7, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

Keywords:
Solanaceae
Lycianthes
Systematics.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Systematics
Location: Exhibit Hall/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PSY002
Abstract ID:59
Candidate for Awards:None