Two new species from the brevantherum clade of solanum (solanaceae) from eastern Brazil

pre-printTwo new species of Solanum (Solanaceae) from eastern Brazil are described. Solanum anisocladum Giacomin & Stehmann is similar to S. megalochiton Mart., but differs by the indument of the adaxial leaf surface, which is composed of long porrect-stellate and unbranched trichomes. It also has a more robust habit and a unique branching pattern of the flowering stems. It is restricted to the Atlantic Rainforest of northeastern Brazil and was previously misidentified as S. megalochiton. The other species, Solanum caelicolum Giacomin & Stehmann, is endemic to Espírito Santo state and is most similar to S. hirtellum (Spreng.) Hassl., but differs mainly by its adaxial leaf indument, with porrect-stellate trichomes with a central ray smaller than the lateral ones, by its comparatively larger fruiting calyx that can reach up to three times the diameter of the mature berry and by its sessile to subsessile unbranched congested inflorescence. Both species belong to the Brevantherum clade, one of the main lineages identified in the genus Solanum, and are placed together in a clade which contains species from S. sects. Extensum D'Arcy and Stellatigeminatum Child. Complete descriptions, distributions, and preliminary conservation assessments of the new species are given

Estudos taxonômicos e filogenéticos de Solanum sect. Gonatotrichum Bitter (Solanoideae, Solanaceae) no Brasil

Solanum is one of the largest genera among seed plants, with diversity spots in the New World. One consequence of being such a giant genus, is the complex infrageneric subdivision that has been clarified with the improvement of phylogenetics hypothesis, based specially on molecular data. The subdivisions tradicionally accepted have been modified, and some tropical species have an unclear position within the genus. Solanum sect. Gonatotrichum Bitter encomprises a few species, and has been described based on the habit, few flowered inflorescences and the stems vestiture, composed by unbranched hairs. Its position has been remarkably modified in the late studies, grouped within the Brevantherum clade (sensu Weese & Bohs), that comprises mainly woody shrubs or trees, with stellate hairs. A revision of some brazilian herbaria showed that a five species so long treated as incertae sedis might belong to Sect. Gonatotrichum, three of them unknown to science. So, the main goal of this work was to test the monophyly and the circumscription of sect. Gonatotrichum applying a phylogenetic analysis using nuclear and cloroplast molecular data (ITS e trnL-F), and to review the brazilian species that might belong to the section. The results showed that the Brevantherum clade comprises three main lineages. Sect. Gonatotrichum as treated in its original description seems to be monophyletic, and few species from southeastern Brazil with similar morphology compose a distinct subclade within Brevantherum, treated as Solanum bradei species group. The pollen morphology of eight species from the Brevantherum clade, was not useful to separate the three lineages, therefore it does not corroborate the phylogeny results. The unbranched hairs seem to be the ancestral condition within Brevantherum, ocurring in sect. Gonatotrichum and S. bradei species group. A revision of the brazilian species belonging to sect. Gonatotrichum and S. bradei species group is presented, with descriptions, distribution patterns and identification keys. Sect. Gonatotrichum occurs from the southern Brazil thru the south of the United States. A new species of it from Bahia, Brazil, is described. The S. bradei species group is assigned to mountain ranges of southeastern Brazil, being collected from 900 to 2000 meters above sea level. Three new species belonging to the group are described.Solanum é um dos gêneros mais ricos entre as angiospermas, com centros de diversidade no Novo Mundo. O grande número de espécies torna a classificação infragenérica complexa, e a relação entre as espécies vem sendo melhor elucidada por hipóteses filogenéticas baseadas, sobretudo em dados moleculares. Os grupos infragenéricos tradicionalmente reconhecidos sofreram modificações, e muitas espécies tropicais permanecem sem posição definida dentro do gênero. Solanum sect. Gonatotrichum Bitter é uma pequena seção estabelecida no início do século XX, baseado no hábito herbáceo, inflorescência de poucas flores, e indumento de tricomas não ramificados. O grupo teve sua posição dentro do gênero modificada em trabalhos recentes e foi alocado no Clado Brevantherum (sensu Weese & Bohs), cuja composição majoritária é de espécies lenhosas com indumento de tricomas estrelados. A revisão de herbários indicou que cinco espécies poderiam compor a Seção Gonatotrichum e dessas, três eram até então desconhecidas para a ciência. Assim, o presente trabalho buscou testar a monofilia e circunscrição da seção Gonatotrichum a partir de uma análise filogenética utilizando caracteres moleculares nucleares e plastidiais (ITS e trnL-F) e realizar a revisão das espécies brasileiras que poderiam pertencer à seção. Os resultados das análises mostraram que o Clado Brevantherum é formado por três linhagens principais. A seção Gonatotrichum como tratada em sua descrição é monofilética, e algumas quatro do Sudeste do Brasil que possuem morfologia similar compõem uma linhagem distinta em Brevantherum, que é tratada como Grupo de Solanum bradei. A morfologia polínica de oito espécies do clado Brevantherum foi pouco informativa e não corroborou os agrupamentos obtidos nas análises filogenéticas. Os tricomas simples parecem ser a condição ancestral do Clado Brevantherum, estando associados à seção Gonatotrichum e ao Grupo de S. bradei. Uma revisão das espécies brasileiras da seção Gonatotrichum, bem como das espécies do Grupo de S. bradei é apresentada, com descrições, padrões de distribuição e chaves de identificação. A seção Gonatotrichum está distribuída ao longo da região Neotropical, do Brasil ao extremo sul dos Estados Unidos, sendo que uma espécie nova que a compõe é apresentada, para o estado da Bahia. O grupo de S. bradei é restrito a formações montanhosas do sudeste do Brasil, sendo encontrado entre 900 e 2000 metros de altitude. Três novas espécies desse grupo são descritas

New species and a key to members of the Geminata clade (Solanum L.; Solanaceae) in Colombia

As part of ongoing studies of Solanum in South America, three new species of the Geminata clade are described for Colombia. Solanum caquetense J.D.Tovar sp. nov., from the Department of Caquetá, is a riverside shrub found in lowland rainforests, with willow-like leaves characteristic of rheophyte plants. Solanum pinguiculum J.D. Tovar sp. nov. is confined to the understory of cloud forests on the eastern Andean slopes in the Departments of Cauca, Huila, and Putumayo, and is a tiny subshrub with somewhat watery stems and minute flowers. Solanum sabu J.D. Tovar sp. nov. is a rare plant, represented by a single collection from the eastern Andean slopes of the Cordillera Central in the Department of Tolima; it is a shrub with loose dendritic trichomes on abaxial leaf surface, and is described here to encourage further investigation in the field and herbaria. Differences between these new taxa and morphologically similar species are discussed, and photos, preliminary conservation status, and distribution maps are provided for all newly described species. To facilitate the identification of these morphologically very similar plants, a dichotomous key for all members of the Geminata clade occurring in Colombia is provided together with a synopsis of their distribution by Department.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.NHM Repositor

A sticky and heavily armed new species of Solanum (Solanum subg. Leptostemonum, Solanaceae) from eastern Brazil

We describe a new species of spiny Solanum (Solanum subg. Leptostemonum), endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and associated with granitic outcrops (inselbergs or sugar loaf mountains). Solanum kollastrum Gouvêa & Giacomin, sp. nov. is morphologically similar to the poorly known S. sublentum Hiern, but is a heavily armed, much more robust plant with stellate-glandular indumentum. Together with S. sublentum, it is morphologically related to some species of Solanum such as S. hexandrum Vell., S. robustum H.Wendl., and S. stagnale Moric. that share strongly accrescent calyces, large leaves with the bases decurrent on to the petiole, pendent simple inflorescences and large, robust flowers. The new species is restricted to a few known populations in southern Bahia and north-eastern Minas Gerais states and conservation efforts are needed

VALORIZANDO AS PRAIAS DO LAGO VERDE DOS MUIRAQUITÃS DE ALTER DO CHÃO (SANTARÉM, PA) ATRAVÉS DO CONHECIMENTO DE SUA FLORA: PRODUZINDO UM GUIA COM A COMUNIDADE

O turismo ecológico, voltado para a apreciação de suas belas praias, constitui uma das principais atividades econômicas da vila de Alter do Chão em Santarém, Pará. O projeto de extensão 'Praias Amazônicas Boraris: Juventude indígena pela valorização da vegetação de praia do Lago Verde dos Muiraquitãs de Alter do Chão, Pará', está sendo desenvolvido há dois anos, e vem sendo realizado com o envolvimento de docentes e discentes da UFOPA e a comunidade indígena Borari, da vila de Alter do Chão no mapeamento, identificação e levantamento etnobotânico das espécies de plantas das praias do lago verde. Este levantamento é uma forma de valorizar a vegetação em si e conscientizar a população e os visitantes da importância de sua conservação para a manutenção do ecossistema em questão. Este trabalho contempla a continuidade do projeto e as etapas finais para a realização de seus objetivos: a realização de oficinas com os comunitários e organização de um guia de identificação de plantas que sirva a eles e à população em geral. Até o presente momento, foram realizadas três visitas à vila de Alter do Chão para coletar dados etnobotânicos para compor o banco de dados das espécies, que servirão de base para a elaboração do guia botânico das praias do lago verde. Fora realizada duas oficinas com os catraieiros, no intuito de capacitar lideranças comunitárias em conceitos básicos de identificação botânica, para auxiliar na formação de propagadores do conhecimento em Alter do Chão, como fomento ao ecoturismo sustentável, além de discutir com os comunitários a forma como o trabalho vem sendo realizado, assim como diálogos em relação à elaboração do guia botânico das praias do lago verde. Para consulta de informações relacionadas às espécies, foi utilizado como referência o banco de dados levantado gerado a partir das coletas e identificação das espécies do projeto. Os dados etnobotânicos foram obtidos através de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Para elaboração das pranchas que farão parte do guia botânico das praias do lago verde, fora utilizado o Programa Adobe Photoshop 2015, o qual, em cada folha destaca-se o nome da espécie, imagens de referência e informações sobre usos etnobotânicos levantados.  Palavras-chave: comunidades tradicionais, indígenas, ecoturismo sustentável

Morphological Trait Evolution in Solanum (Solanaceae): Evolutionary Lability of Key Taxonomic Characters

Solanum is one of the world\u27s largest and economically most important plant genera, including 1245 currently accepted species and several major and minor crops (e.g., tomato, potato, brinjal eggplant, scarlet eggplant, Gboma eggplant, lulo, and pepino). Here we provide an overview of the evolution of 25 key morphological traits for the major and minor clades of this giant genus based on stochastic mapping using a well-sampled recently published phylogeny of Solanum. The most evolutionarily labile traits (showing \u3e100 transitions across the genus) relate to plant structure (growth form and sympodial unit structure), herbivore defence (glandular trichomes), pollination (corolla shape and colour), and dispersal (fruit colour). Ten further traits show evolutionary lability with 50–100 transitions across the genus (e.g., specialised underground organs, trichome structure, leaf type, inflorescence position and branching, stamen heteromorphism). Our results reveal a number of highly convergent traits in Solanum, including tubers, rhizomes, simple leaves, yellow corollas, heteromorphic anthers, dioecy, and dry fruits, and some unexpected pathways of trait evolution that could be explored in future studies. We show that informally named clades of Solanum can be morphologically defined by trait combinations providing a tool for identification and enabling predictive phylogenetic placement of unsampled species

Phylogenomic discordance suggests polytomies along the backbone of the large genus Solanum

Premise Evolutionary studies require solid phylogenetic frameworks, but increased volumes of phylogenomic data have revealed incongruent topologies among gene trees in many organisms both between and within genomes. Some of these incongruences indicate polytomies that may remain impossible to resolve. Here we investigate the degree of gene-tree discordance in Solanum, one of the largest flowering plant genera that includes the cultivated potato, tomato, and eggplant, as well as 24 minor crop plants. Methods A densely sampled species-level phylogeny of Solanum is built using unpublished and publicly available Sanger sequences comprising 60% of all accepted species (742 spp.) and nine regions (ITS, waxy, and seven plastid markers). The robustness of this topology is tested by examining a full plastome dataset with 140 species and a nuclear target-capture dataset with 39 species of Solanum (Angiosperms353 probe set). Results While the taxonomic framework of Solanum remained stable, gene tree conflicts and discordance between phylogenetic trees generated from the target-capture and plastome datasets were observed. The latter correspond to regions with short internodal branches, and network analysis and polytomy tests suggest the backbone is composed of three polytomies found at different evolutionary depths. The strongest area of discordance, near the crown node of Solanum, could potentially represent a hard polytomy. Conclusions We argue that incomplete lineage sorting due to rapid diversification is the most likely cause for these polytomies, and that embracing the uncertainty that underlies them is crucial to understand the evolution of large and rapidly radiating lineages.Peer reviewe

Phylogenomic Discordance Suggests Polytomies Along the Backbone of the Large Genus Solanum

Premise of the study Evolutionary studies require solid phylogenetic frameworks, but increased volumes of phylogenomic data have revealed incongruent topologies among gene trees in many organisms both between and within genomes. Some of these incongruences indicate polytomies that may remain impossible to resolve. Here we investigate the degree of gene-tree discordance in Solanum, one of the largest flowering plant genera that includes the cultivated potato, tomato, and eggplant, as well as 24 minor crop plants. Methods A densely sampled species-level phylogeny of Solanum is built using unpublished and publicly available Sanger sequences comprising 60% of all accepted species (742 spp.) and nine regions (ITS, waxy, and seven plastid markers). The robustness of this topology is tested by examining a full plastome dataset with 140 species and a nuclear target-capture dataset with 39 species of Solanum (Angiosperms353 probe set). Key results While the taxonomic framework of Solanum remained stable, gene tree conflicts and discordance between phylogenetic trees generated from the target-capture and plastome datasets were observed. The latter correspond to regions with short internodal branches, and network analysis and polytomy tests suggest the backbone is composed of three polytomies found at different evolutionary depths. The strongest area of discordance, near the crown node of Solanum, could potentially represent a hard polytomy. Conclusions We argue that incomplete lineage sorting due to rapid diversification is the most likely cause for these polytomies, and that embracing the uncertainty that underlies them is crucial to understand the evolution of large and rapidly radiating lineages