Jaltomata lojae Mione |
Ecuador & northern Peru |
revised 28 July 2016 |
The information on this page may be cited as a communication with professor Thomas Mione, Central Connecticut State University, Biology Department, Copernicus Hall, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, Connecticut 06050-4010, United States of America | Rhodora 101: 136 - 142. 1999 |
Link to Jaltomata homepage |
Link to chromosome count |
Link to the local name(s) of this species |
Link to report(s) of fruits of this species being edible |
Link to a reported medicinal use |
Link to Jaltomata species of Ecuador |
Link to Jaltomata species of northern Peru |
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Figure 1. Branches, inflorescences and leaves. The corolla is pale-green prior to anthesis (to the right of center) but after it opens it becomes white and remains white. In the flower at the center all anthers have dehisced while in the flower at right some of the anthers have dehisced while others have not. The stigma is green and the style is whitish; the upper half of the ovary is green, and the lower half of the ovary is surrounded by an orange disk, presumably the source of nectar. |
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Figure 2. Flower at left was pressed in Ecuador (type collection) and the flower at right is fresh (not pressed) and was removed from a plant grown from seed of the type collection. The size difference we see between these flowers is almost certainly due to growing conditions, not genetic differences. The plant in Ecuador (at left) was probably competing for nutrients, water and sun while the plant at right was not competing. The units along the left edge are mm. Photo by Thomas Mione in the laboratory of Gregory J. Anderson. |
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Figure 3. Ripe fruits, leaves, stems (Mione et al. 710, photo by Thomas Mione, original print was scanned for this page). |
Figure 4. The white ruler (21 cm long) is resting on Jaltomata lojae and the leaves at the bottom middle of the photo are also J. lojae. Peru, Department Piura, province Huancabamba (Mione et al. 811, photo by Thomas Mione). |
Floral Biology Of Jaltomata lojae Observations on floral phenology were made in Connecticut, USA, in May of 1992 and March to May of 1998. Flowers remain open 5 to 7 days (mean 5.7 days, n = 9 flowers) and close each night. Within an inflorescence one to four flowers are open at a time. The corolla is pale-green prior to anthesis but after it opens for the first time it becomes white and remains white. Anthers dehisced prior to 8:30 am. The anthers of a flower either dehisce a few at a time over the course of several hours, or two or three of the anthers dehisce one day and the others dehisce the next day. Some flowers exhibited one day of protogyny with the stigma protruding through the partially open corolla. To examine seed set flowers were manually pollinated during the pistillate and hermaphroditic phases; undehisced anthers were removed at the time of pollination. Two out of three flowers manually pollinated during the pistillate phase set seed, as did many (percentage not calculated) of the flowers that were manually pollinated during the hermaphroditic phase. In the greenhouse plants did not set fruit unless hand-pollinated. This is likely due to herkogamy: the stigma is located 3 to 8 mm from the anthers. Nectar drops at the base of the corolla (alternating with the stamens) were large enough to be observed by eye. The broad, orange ovary disk (Figure 1) is concentric around the green ovary and increases the diameter of the ovary by 1 to 1.5 mm relative to the diameter the ovary would be without the disk. Nectar seems to be secreted by the ovarian disk but may also be secreted by the base of the corolla. Floral fragrance was evaluated by seven people who were blindfolded and asked to describe the fragrance of an empty jar and then a jar containing flowers. Jars were uncapped seconds before being placed in close proximity to the nose. Flowers produce a subtle fragrance that was described as licorice-like, vanilla-like, or faintly sweet by seven people polled (two of these people also detected a fragrance in the empty/control jar) and the authors.
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Taxonomy Jaltomata lojae is similar to several species, compared at this link and is distinguished by the following features: finger hairs borne by the leaves and stems; a white, broadly infundibular to rotate corolla; exserted stigma and a broad nectary disk. Corolla color changes from pale-green to white at anthesis. Flowers are self-compatible, herkogamous, and sometimes protogynous. Microscopic, densely staining, multicellular glands (Figure 11) are located on the perianth. The following description is based on the holotype, and plants grown from seed of the type collection in the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University greenhouses. |
Character | Description of Jaltomata lojae | Figures on this web page |
Habit & Height |
Perennial shrub | |
Branches, young |
branches and leaves densely villous, bearing finger hairs, these sometimes gland-tipped, 0.15 - 6 mm long, becoming less villous with age | |
older |
to 14 mm diam (Mione et al. 813) | |
Leaves, size | Leaves alternate, often geminate, to 15 cm long X 6 cm wide | |
shape | ovate, the margin entire to sinuate-dentate, undulate | |
hairs | branches and leaves densely villous, bearing finger hairs, these sometimes gland-tipped, 0.15 - 6 mm long, becoming less villous with age | |
petiole | to 4.5 cm long | |
Inflorescence |
umbelliform, to 9-flowered | |
peduncle |
5 - 9 mm long (at flowering) having a dense covering of erect finger hairs to 1.5 mm long, some hairs gland-tipped | |
pedicel |
8 - 11 mm long (at flowering) having a dense covering of erect finger hairs to 1.5 mm long, some hairs gland-tipped | |
Calyx at flowering | Calyx light green, 9.5 mm in diameter, strongly reflexed, abaxially villous with gland-tipped finger hairs, forked hairs, and dendritic hairs all 1 - 2 mm long, and abaxially and adaxially with stalked multicellular glands 62 - 80 µm long | |
at fruit maturity | at fruit maturity calyx diameter to 12 mm. | |
Corolla color |
white with two green, proximally positioned maculae straddling the radial vein to each corolla lobe | |
shape and size |
infundibular when partially open, crateriform-rotate when fully open, 25 - 27 mm in diameter on plants I grew, 18 mm in diameter on the holotype measured after pressed/dried | |
lobes/lobules |
5 prominent lobes alternating with 5 small lobules | |
hairs |
adaxially glabrous, abaxially with sparsely but evenly distributed stalked multicellular glands 62 - 80 µm long. Two classes of hairs extend out from the corolla margin: marginal hairs to 110 µm long, and submarginal (attached abaxially) hairs to 0.5 mm long. | |
no | ||
Stamen length |
5 mm long | |
filaments | filaments on living plants angling away from style, and slightly excurved, villous on basal 1/4 of the length with unpigmented finger hairs to 1.2 mm long | |
anther color | ||
anther size | anthers 2.1 - 2.5 mm long prior to dehiscing, 1.6 - 1.8 mm long after dehiscing, when corolla is fully open exserted out of corolla 2 mm, otherwise included | |
anther mucronate | ||
anthers of a flower open simultaneously? | The anthers of a flower either dehisce a few at a time over the course of several hours, or two or three of the anthers dehisce one day and the others dehisce the next day | |
pollen quantity | ||
pollen grain size | see Table 3 on this page |
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corona | no | |
Stigma |
shallowly bilobed, 0.4 to 0.75 mm wide on pressed specimens, broader than the style, the papillae 30 - 60 µm long | |
Style |
9 - 11 mm long, slender and straight, exserted 3 - 8 mm beyond the anthers | |
Ovary |
nectar disk orange | |
Ovules per ovary |
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Nectar | transparent | |
Herkogamy | yes, the stigma is located 3 to 8 mm from the anthers | |
Protogyny | yes | |
Fruit color (at maturity) and size |
orange | |
Seeds per fruit |
numerous | |
Seed Size |
ovate to reniform, 1.3 - 1.6 mm long | |
Chromosome number |
n = 12 (nine counts) | Chromosome counts were made with meiocytes of immature anthers stained with acetic carmine. |
Growability in Connecticut, USA |
was easy in greenhouse | |
How long does it take from flower to ripe fruit? |
no data |
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Self-Compatible? |
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Seed Germination |
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Character | Description of Jaltomata lojae | Figures on this web page |
Country | Province | Locality | elevation m | habitat | date | collector | Data Entry |
Ecuador | Loja | by guard station on the E side of Celica | 1,950
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growing along roadside | 2 May 1991
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D. M . Spooner, R. Castillo, & L. López 5037 (CONN) | Apr 2009 |
Country | Province | Locality | elevation m | habitat | date | collector | Data Entry | |
Ecuador | Chimborazo | Cañon on the río Chanchan, directly above the village of Huigra | 1,524 - 2,134
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open deforested slope with small patches of scrub in the draws | 29-31 May 1945
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Camp E-3498 (NY) | Aug 2011 |
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Ecuador | Loja | Lugma Huycu 12 km north of Saraguro, 79 15' W, 03 34' S |
2,100 |
no data |
19 Jan 1989 |
Ellemann 66799 (NY) | Aug 2011 |
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Ecuador | Loja | Cerro Sozoranga, Colaisaca-Utuana, km 0.5, 4 19' 14" S, 79 41' 16" W | 2,340
|
hedges | 24 Apr 1994 |
Jørgensen et al. 567 (NY) | Aug 2011 |
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Ecuador | Loja | Sevillán, 3 32' 10" S 79 22' 30" W |
2,740 |
potrero | 26 Mar 1995 |
V. Van den Eynden & E. Cueva 342 (NY) | Aug 2011 |
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Department | Province | |||||||
Peru | Piura |
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Abra de Porculla, entre Olmos y Jaén | 2,000 - 2,100
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ladera con monte bajo | 22 Apr 1964
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R. Ferreyra 15667 (K, US) | Aug 2011 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | 46-48 km E of Olmos on road to Pucara, just W of top of Abra de Porculla | 2,000 - 4,070
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roadside, lower montane dry forest | 10 June 1978
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A. Gentry, M. Dillon, et al. 22684 (NY) | Aug 2011 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | Perculla | 2,200 |
zonas húmedas y arcillosos | 2 May 1981 |
S. Llatas & J. Laes 631 (HUT not seen, MO, NY) | Aug 2011 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | Carretera entre Canchaque y Huancabamba, km del 16 al 25 desde Canchaque | 1,900 - 2,200
|
no data |
17 Apr 1987
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C. Díaz S. & S. Baldeón 2395 (MO, NY) | Aug 2011 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | Highway Olmos to Chamaya | 2,080
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quebrada | 7 June 2005
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S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 3339; Mione, Leiva & Yacher et al. 710 |
March 2009 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | road to Huancabamba, 5 22' 00" S, 79, 33' 52" W | 2,982
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roadside | 22 March 2011
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S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 5104; Mione, Leiva & Yacher et al. 811 |
Aug 2011 |
Peru | Piura | Huancabamba | 5 21' 26.7 to 29" S, 79, 34' 31 to 31.6" W |
1,986 |
roadside and trailside | 22 March 2011
|
S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 5106; Mione, Leiva & Yacher et al. 813 |
Aug 2011 |
Figure 5. Corolla maculae (green) are visible through the corolla. Mione et al. 710, photo by Thomas Mione |
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Figure 6. Style is exserted. Plant grown from seed of the type collection by and photo by Thomas Mione. |
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Figure 7. Comparison of the type collection (right) and a plant grown in Connecticut from seed of the type collection (left). The plant at left was pressed in Connecticut, after being grown from seed of the type collection; the plant at right is the type collection and was pressed in Ecuador. The plant at right was probably competing for nutrients, water and sun while the plant at left was not competing. Plant at left grown by and photo by Thomas Mione in the laboratory of Gregory J. Anderson. |
Figure 8. Flower. Note curved filaments, and that anthers have dehisced. Stamens and corolla tissue were removed to allow view of the ovary including the orange disk that surrounds the base of the ovary. The orange disk around the base of the ovary is probably the nectary. The style disappears distally because of poor lighting, but the stigma (green) is showing at the top of the photo. The lilac-colored pigmentation immediately distal to the corolla maculae (green) was not present in the type specimen. Smallest units are mm. Photo by Thomas Mione, Mione et al. 813. |
Figure 9. Leaves. Upper side showing of larger leaf on left and the two leaves on the right. Numbered units are cm. Photo by Thomas Mione, Mione et al. 813. |
Figure 10. Leaves. Upper side showing of larger leaf on left and the two leaves on the right. Numbered units are cm. Photo by Thomas Mione, Mione et al. 813. |
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Figure 11. Multicellular gland, about 1/10th of a mm long, located on the abaxial face of the corolla and both faces of the calyx. The multicellular head stains darkly with neutral red while the stalk cell does not. Illustration by Luis A. Serazo. |
Figure 12. Mione et al. 811 |
Figure 13. Mione et al. 811 |
Figure 14. Mione et al. 811 |
Collection |
Mean Size (Sample Size) |
Range (micrometers) |
Only Polar View Measured |
1) Grown for study in Connecticut vs. 2) Flower collected in the wild. |
Stored in 70% ethanol prior to measured, or fresh when measured |
Date Measured. Measured By |
Data Entry |
|
Mione 560, type collection | Ecuador, province Loja | 32.5 µm (n = 22) |
27.5 - 38.75 |
not sure |
1 |
yes |
1998 Thomas Mione |
Apr 2013 |
Mione et al. 813 | Peru, Department Piura, province Huancabamba | 25.3 µm (n = 20) |
25.05 - 25.3 |
yes |
2 |
yes |
2013 Emmett P. Varricchio |
Apr 2013 |
I thank David M. Spooner for seeds of the type collection, and Janet R. Sullivan for review of the manscript that became the protologue.