STANDLEY TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 1289 



8. SOLANUM L. Sp. PI. 1S4. 1753. 



References: Dunal in DC. Prodr. IS^: 27-387. 1852; O, E. Scliulz in 

 Urban, Symb. Antill. 6: 149-249. 1909; Fernald, A revision of the Mexican 

 and Central American Solanums of the subsection Torvaria, Proc. Amer. Acad. 

 35: 557-562. 1900. 



Shrubs or herbs, sometimes scandent, the pubescence often of branched liairs ; 

 leaves entire, lobed, or pinnate ; flowers usually cymose, racemose, or umbel- 

 late ; calyx campanulate, 5-dentate or 5-lobate; corolla rotate, 5-angulate or 5- 

 parted ; filaments short, the anthers sometimes unequal, connate or counivent ; 

 fruit a globose berry. 



Many herbaceous species occur in Mexico. Hemsley lists 139 species of 

 Solanum from Mexico and Central America, but it is doubtful whether so 

 many occur in the region. A rather large number of shrubby species are 

 known to the writer only from Dunal's descriptions, and only a few of them 

 have been placed in the following list. Many of them are based upon Pavon 

 specimens which may have come from South America rather than Mexico. 



The genus contains several species of economic importance, among which 

 may be noted the potato, Solanum tuberosum L., native of the South American 

 Andes, and the eggplant (" berenjena "), Solanum melongena L., a native of 

 Asia and Africa. 



A. Anthers short, the terminal pores usually anterior ; plants never prickly. 

 Flowers mostly axillary, the pedicels solitary or fasciculate. 



Calyx 5-lobate 1. S. geminiflorum. 



Calyx with numerous (usually 10) lobes, or the lobes obsolete. 

 Pubescence of the leaves of simple hairs. 



Calyx lobes obsolete 2. S. pringlei. 



Calyx lobes well developed. 



Calyx hirsute with long hairs 3. S. amatitlanense. 



Calyx hirtellous with short subappressed hairs. 



4. S. nyctaginoides. 

 Pubescence of branched hairs, or the leaves sometimes glabrous. 



Pedicels and calyx hispid 5. S. purpusii. 



Pedicels and calyx glabrous or finely stellate-pubescent. 

 X-eaves usually rounded or obtuse at apex, nearly or fully as broad 



as long, broadly rounded or subcordate at base 6. S. lambii. 



Leaves acute to acuminate, much longer than broad or, if obtuse, 

 acute at base. 



Corolla 6 mm. long 7. S. sideroxyloides. 



Corolla over 1 cm. long. 

 Leaves densely and finely stellate-pubescent beneath. 



8. S. lentum. 

 Leaves glabrous beneath or nearly so. 



Leaves small, 5 cm. long or less 9. S. nocturnum. 



Leaves mostly 6 to 14 cm. long. 



I Leaves subcoriaceous, lustrous 10. S. chiapense. 



Leaves thin, dull 11. S. stephanocalyx. 



Flowers in cymes, racemes, or umbels, these all or mostly pedunculate. 

 B. Leaves pinnate or pinnate-lobate, or hastate-lobate, sometimes simple 

 but the plants then scandent. 

 Leaves entire or hastate-lobate at base, or only the lower ones pin- 

 natisect. 



