Solanaceae

Discopodium Hochst.

First published in Flora 27: 22 (1844)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical Africa.

Descriptions

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 8, Part 4. Solanaceae. Gonçalves AE. 2005

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs, less often small trees, glabrous or finely puberulous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves solitary, alternate, or sometimes in pairs, one larger than the other, appearing opposite, petiolate, entire to dentate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers (1)few–numerous in axillary fascicles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels slender, actinomorphic
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx shorter than or as long as the corolla tube, shortly and broadly campanulate, 5-lobed, the lobes subequal or unequal, shorter than the tube, with valvate aestivation; in fruit not or slightly enlarged, not enclosing it
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla whitish or yellowish to greenish or brownish-green, campanulate or urceolate, occasionally ± tubular, ± glabrous inside; limb not plicate, 5-lobed, spreading or ± reflexed, the lobes ± half as long as the tube, triangular to ± oblong, with induplicate-valvate or valvate aestivation
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5, equal or subequal, inserted at or above the middle of the corolla tube, included; filaments short, filiform, often dilated at the base, partly adnate to the corolla tube; anthers oblong or slightly ovate in outline, straight, dorsifixed below the middle, the thecae separated from each other for their lower third, dehiscing by longitudinal slits
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk fleshy, 5-sulcate, annular, adnate to and surrounding the basal part of the ovary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary conical to globose, 2(or incompletely 5)-locular; ovules campylotropous, numerous–many in each locule, on a fleshy, axile placenta.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style short, terete.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigma depressed-capitate or peltate, included
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit baccaceous, ± globose, juicy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, much compressed, orbicular or ± reniform; testa somewhat leathery, ± reticulate-foveolate; embryo strongly curved, sub-orbicular, flattened, sub-peripheral in the abundant endosperm; radicle ± terete; cotyledons semi-terete
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or small trees, much branched.
Morphology Stem
Stems tessellated or lenticellate when mature, young stems often densely flocculose/villous and appearing brown or ochraceous, glabrescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually alternate, prominently penniveined, domatia often present. Inflorescences of solitary flowers or 2–many-flowered axillary fascicles, epedunculate, pedicels slender
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 5-merous, sometimes aromatic
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx broadly cupulate; lobes mucronate with external central ridge
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla campanulate-urceolate, tube broadly cylindrical, densely pubescent with short appressed hairs above calyx externally, glabrous internally apart from pilose band between filament bases, lobes narrowly triangular, usually recurved when anthers often exposed, occasionally spreading, densely pubescent with short hairs on both surfaces
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens included, usually equal; filaments filiform, broader at the base, adnate to middle of corolla tube, alternating with lobe lobes, free parts glabrous; anthers usually all fertile, occasionally one sterile, bithecate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary globose to conical, bilocular, ovules numerous, placentation axile; disc annular, glabrous, fleshy and sulcate below ovary; style included; stigma discoid/capitate/peltoid with central depression, occasionally bilobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a berry
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds orbicular or reniform with vesicular testa.
Note
This is one of only two Solanaceous genera which are thought to be truly indigenous to Africa. Subfamilial treatments by D’Arcy (in Hawkes et al. Solanaceae III: 75–137 (1991)) placed this genus in the tribe Jaboroseae Miers, though Hunziker (2001) later considered the reasons for this to be ‘irrelevant’ and placed it in a subtribe of the Solaneae. Olmstead et al. (in Nee et al. (eds) Solanaceae IV: 111–137 (1999)) too considered that their molecular analysis supported the placement of Discopodium in the tribe Solaneae. The genus is generally considered to be monospecific but two distinct species occur.
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0