Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

382
Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
than or as long as the dilated portion, the limb
with 5 sinuate lobes, more or less revolute;
stamens as long as the corolla. Berry coriaceouswoody,
depressed-ovoid, ca. 3 cm long, with the
calyx split and persistent at the base.
Phenology: Collected in flower from October
to December.
Status: Apparently exotic, cultivated and
naturalized, uncommon.
Distribution: Cultivated or sometimes at the
margin of forests along the Cordillera Central.
Cultivated on St. Thomas. Apparently native to
1. Solanum lanceifolium Jacq., Collectanea 2:
286. 1788 [1789].
Fig. 155. A-D
Woody vine, scandent, that supports itself on
the host plants by means of recurved spines and
attains 2-6 m in length. Stems cylindrical, stellatepubescent,
with few or numerous recurved spines,
yellowish. Leaves alternate, 10-18 × 3.7-7 cm,
lanceolate, ovate, or elliptical, chartaceous, the
apex acute, obtuse, or acuminate, the base obtuse
or rounded, asymmetrical, the margins entire;
upper surface dull, with some scattered stellate
hairs, with the venation flat or slightly prominent;
lower surface light green, dull, sparsely stellatepubescent,
with prominent venation, the midvein
with yellowish recurved spines; petioles stellate-
3. SOLANUM
Jamaica, today found throughout the Antilles,
Panama, Venezuela, and Brazil.
Public Forests: Guilarte and Maricao.
Cultivated Species:
Solandra longiflora Sw. has been collected on
St. Croix from cultivated plants, and apparently
does not grow there spontaneously. This species
is distinguished from S. grandiflora by the longer
corolla (23-32 cm long), with the tubular portion
longer than the dilated portion.
Herbs, shrubs, trees, or herbaceous or woody vines, usually with spines or prickles, glabrous or
pubescent with simple or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, simple or compound, entire or lobate; stipules
absent. Flowers actinomorphic, 5-merous, bisexual or rarely unisexual, produced in racemes or solitary.
Calyx deeply lobate; corolla usually rotate, with the limb pentagonal; stamens 5, the filaments shorter
than the anthers, the anthers concrescent, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary superior, of two connate
carpels, the placentation axile, with numerous ovules, the style filiform, the stigmas bifid. Fruit a berry
with numerous seeds inside. A cosmopolitan genus, of approximately 1,400 species.
Key to the species of Solanum
1a. Plants markedly spiny; corolla white …….…………………………..…....1. S. lancifolium
1b. Plants not spiny or inconspicuously spiny; corolla lavender or pale violet……………..…2
2a. Corolla deeply lobate, the limb 2-2.5 cm wide; anthers 3-5 mm long.........2. S. seaforthianum
2b. Corolla rotate (the lobes short), the limb 3.5-6 cm wide; anthers 9-10.5 mm long..................
....……………………….…………..………………………………………....3. S. wendlandii
pubescent, 1-5 cm long, usually with recurved
spines. Flowers in lateral racemes, 2-4 cm long,
stellate-pubescent; pedicels stellate-pubescent,
1.5-1.7 cm long. Calyx green, campanulate,
stellate-pubescent, 4.5-5 mm long, of 5 subulate
sepals; corolla white, deeply lobate, stellatepubescent
on the outer surface, the tube ca. 1.5
mm long, the lobes 8-11 mm long, oblong, oblonglanceolate,
or ovate, expanded or slightly reflexed;
anthers subulate, connivent, 6.2-6.5 mm long,
yellow; style projecting beyond the anthers, the
stigma capitate. Berry globose, fleshy, brilliant
red or orange when ripe, 0.9-1.3 cm in diameter,
glabrous. Seeds numerous, circular, flattened,
yellowish, 3.2-3.5 mm in diameter.
Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit from
January to August.
Status: Native, uncommon.