Solanum jubae Bitter

Solanaceae, Jennifer M Edmonds. Oliganthes, Melongena & Monodolichopus, Maria S. Vorontsova & Sandra Knapp. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2012

Type

Type: Somalia, “Djuba Steppe, Elmeged,” Keller s.n. (Z, syn.) & Webi Suabeli (?Schebeli), Keller s.n. (Z, syn.)

General

Shrub, spreading, straggling or much branched from the base to 3 m high, unarmed; young stems smooth, reddish-brown, stout at maturity, often lenticellate and bearing prominent leaf scars, with dense yellowish tomentose indumentum of 8-equal-rayed eglandular stellate hairs when young, glabrescent

Leaves

Leaves often clustered around short shoots on the stem and opposite in pairs or threes, rough, yellowish to light green, orbicular to ovate, 1–2.4(–4.5) × 0.5–2.7 cm, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices rounded to obtuse, rarely acute; both surfaces with tomentose indumentum of stellate hairs larger than those on stems but with shorter erect central rays, bulbous basally, hairs densely interlocking on lower surfaces, on upper surfaces lamina visible between hairs; petioles 2–10 mm long

Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal up to 8-flowered umbellate cymes, or lateral when on short or long shoots and solitary or 2–3-flowered cymes; peduncles absent or vestigial; pedicels erect and 2–11 mm long in flower, recurved and 2.5–12 mm in fruit, stellate-tomentose

Calyx

Calyx campanulate, 2–4(–5) mm long, stellate-tomentose externally; calyx lobes triangular (ovate), 1–2(–3.5) × 1–1.5(–2) mm, acute to apiculate (obtuse); adherent becoming reflexed in fruit, (1–)2.5–4 × 1.2–3 mm, sometimes unequal. Corolla pale lilac to purple and cream, stellate, 16–28 mm diameter; tube 1.5–2 mm long, glabrous externally; lobes narrowly lanceolate, 5–11 × 1.6–3 mm, densely stellate-pilose externally, glabrous internally, strongly reflexed exposing androecium after anthesis

Stamens

Stamens usually equal and connate; filaments free for ± 0.5 mm, glabrous; anthers yellow to brownish, poricidal, often with orange pores, 4.6–7.6 × 0.6–1.4 mm, free and often spreading at maturity

Ovary

Ovary brownish, 1.2–2 × 1–1.4 mm, glabrous to stellate-pubescent, occasionally mixed with simple hairs; style often curved apically, 6–11 × 0.2–0.5 mm, hairy on lower half with a dense collar of mainly simple hairs at junction with ovary, always exserted 2–5 mm; stigma capitate, 0.4–1 mm diameter

Fruits

Berries mottled green and white maturing to yellow/orange, globose to ovoid, 4–9 × 5–11 mm, with scattered stellate hairs, sometimes with unpleasant smell

Seeds

Seeds 7–22 per berry, light brown to golden yellow, ovoid, discoid or reniform, 2.1–3 × 1.8–2.8 mm, foveolate; sclerotic granules absent

Figures

Fig. 23/1–6, p 188

Ecology

Acacia-Commiphora woodland or mixed bushland , often on steep slopes, limestone ridges and valleys; 350–500 m

Note

Specimens typically exhibit open flowers in one-, two- or three-flowered cymes. However, many juvenile terminal inflorescences have up to 8 flower buds, and it is possible that not all of these develop to maturity. Herbarium material of this species is generally poor, often consisting of a few leaf fragments on bare woody stems; these are however characteristically tough and multi-angular with smooth reddish bark. Thulin (2006) noted that the syntypes of S. jubae cited by Keller are from present day Ethiopia and not Somalia. This species is grazed by goats in Somalia.

Distribution

Flora districts: K1 Range: Ethiopia, Somalia