Abstract
Solanumcaatingaesp. nov. is described from the arid caatinga biome of north-eastern Brazil. It is known from only a few specimens, but these were found amongst the many sheets of the widespread circumtropical weed S.americanum Mill.; it is possible that more will be found once its distinct nature has been recognised. It differs from S.americanum and all other herbaceous black nightshades known in Brazil, in its combination of glandular pubescence and shiny black fruit with small spreading sepals. The description of S.caatingae brings the number of morelloid solanums in Brazil to seven and a key is provided for their identification.
Highlights
Solanum L. is one of the most species-rich vascular plant genera in South America (Jørgensen et al 2011; Ulloa Ulloa et al 2017) and, within the continent, the tropical Andes represent one of the main centres of species diversity for Solanum for both spinyCopyright Sandra Knapp,Tiina Särkinen
Specimens (1,241 in total) included in the Suppl. material 1 are those morelloids occurring in Brazil for which we have examined material from 68 herbaria worldwide; many of these are not yet georeferenced but will be as we complete the monographic treatment of this group for South America
More collections may be hiding in the many sheets of the widespread and common S. americanum held in Brazilian herbaria and we hope that the description of this taxon will stimulate its future discovery both in the field and in herbaria
Summary
Solanum L. is one of the most species-rich vascular plant genera in South America (Jørgensen et al 2011; Ulloa Ulloa et al 2017) and, within the continent, the tropical Andes represent one of the main centres of species diversity for Solanum for both spiny. Unlike for many groups of solanums (e.g. Giacomin and Stehmann 2014; Knapp et al 2015; Gouvêa and Stehmann 2016), Brazil is not a centre of diversity for the Morelloid clade, but in work undertaken revising these species we have encountered specimens from the poorly explored caatingas of north-eastern Brazil that do not correspond to any of the currently recognised species from the region. We describe this taxon here and provide a key to all morelloid species occurring in Brazil and current documentation of our knowledge of specimens of these taxa in Brazil.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
