Capsicum hookerianum (Miers) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 449. 1891.

Barboza, Gloria E., Garcia, Carolina Carrizo, Bianchetti, Luciano de Bem, Romero, Maria V. & Scaldaferro, Marisel, 2022, Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 200, pp. 1-423 : 1

22. Capsicum hookerianum (Miers) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 449. 1891.

Figs 73 , 74

Brachistus hookerianus Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 2, 3(16): 268. 1849. Type. Ecuador. Guayaquil: "Cerro of Lantana", Jan 1846, W. Jameson s.n. (lectotype, designated by Barboza 2011, pg. 25: K [K000585919]; isolectotypes: CORD [CORD00101767 fragment ex K], US [02827225, acc. # 1941340 photo + fragment ex K).

Bassovia brachypoda Dunal, Prodr. [A. P. de Candolle] 13(1): 411. 1852. Type. Peru. J.A. Pavon s.n. (holotype: G; isotypes: CORD [CORD00084676 fragment ex G]; MPU [MPU023058]).

Capsicum brachypodum (Dunal) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 450. 1891. Type. Based on Bassovia brachypoda Dunal

Capsicum eggersii Bitter, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 18: 126. 1922. Type. Ecuador. Manabi: Agua Amarga, near El Recreo, 15 Jan 1897, H.F.A. von Eggers 15555 (holotype: B [destroyed, F neg. 2867]; lectotype, designated here: M [M-0171548]; isolectotypes: CORD [CORD00084677 fragment ex L, CORD00087961 fragment ex K), F [F0072805F, acc. # 143187, fragment], K [K000585902], L [L.2881993, acc. # 602560], P [P00482081], US [01919835, acc. # 939121]).

Type.

Based on Brachistus hookerianus Miers.

Description.

Climbing erect subshrubs or shrubs, (0.5-) 1-3 m tall, with the main stem 1.5-2 cm in diameter at base, profusely branched above. Young stems, angled, fragile, flexuous, glabrous to moderately pubescent with white, simple, uniseriate, 4-6-celled, eglandular trichomes 0.4-0.9 mm long; nodes green; bark of older stems longitudinally striped, dark brown, glabrous; lenticels abundant, elliptic or rounded, cream or light brown. Sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate; leaf pair unequal in size and shape. Leaves membranous, discolorous, deep green above, paler below, with sparse white simple eglandular trichomes adaxially and moderate to abundant trichomes abaxially, especially on main veins, the trichomes 0.4-1.2 mm long, sometimes branched trichomes 0.6-1 mm long; blades of major leaves 4-12.5 cm long, 2-5.5 cm wide, ovate or broadly ovate, the major veins 4-6 on each side of mid-vein, the base long-attenuate, strongly asymmetric, the margins entire, the apex acuminate; petioles 0-1.3 cm long, somewhat winged due to the decurrence of the base leaf, pubescent or glabrescent; blades of minor leaves 2.5-4.2 (-7) cm long, 1.2-2.7 cm wide, ovate, the major veins 3-4 on each side of mid-vein, the base short, attenuate, rarely asymmetric, the margins entire, the apex acute, obtuse or rounded; petioles 0-0.5 cm, glabrescent or pubescent. Inflorescences axillary, 2-7 flowers per axil, rarely flowers solitary; flowering pedicels 8-15 mm long, thin, pendent, non-geniculate at anthesis, glabrous to glabrescent, the eglandular trichomes antrorse; pedicels scars conspicuous, corky. Buds not seen. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 1.3-2 mm long, 2.2-2.7 mm wide, cup-shaped, green, glabrescent to densely pubescent with eglandular trichomes, the calyx appendages usually 8-10, unequal, the five main appendages longer 4-6 (-7) mm long, the secondary appendages shorter 1.3-4 mm, erect or somewhat spreading, linear-subulate, ca. 1 mm below the margin. Corolla 7.5-9 mm long, 8-10 mm in diameter, yellow, campanulate with abundant interpetalar membrane, lobed nearly 1/3 of the way to the base, the tube 4.5-6 mm long, glabrous adaxially and abaxially, the lobes 2-2.5 (-3) mm long, ca. 3.5-5.5 mm wide, broadly triangular, glabrous adaxially and with abundant eglandular trichomes near the apex abaxially, the margins papillate, the tips cucullate, papillate. Stamens five, equal; filaments (1.5-) 1.8-2 mm long, inserted on the corolla ca. 2 mm from the base, with auricles fused to the corolla at the point of insertion; anthers (1.5-) 1.7-2.1 mm long, ellipsoid, yellow, not connivent at anthesis. Gynoecium with ovary 1.5-1.6 mm long, ca. 1.3 mm in diameter, ovoid or subglobose; ovules more than two per locule; nectary 0.5 mm tall; styles homomorphic, ca. 4 mm long, exserted less than 1 mm beyond the anthers, clavate; stigma ca. 0.5 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, capitate or bilobed, light green. Berry 5-9 mm in diameter, globose or subglobose, green or yellow when immature, bright red at maturity, non-pungent, the pericarp thick, opaque, lacking giant cells (endocarp smooth); stone cells 2-4, irregular in shape; fruiting pedicels 12-18 mm long, pendent, angled, widened distally, green; fruiting calyx 4-6 mm in diameter, persistent, not accrescent, discoid, greenish-white, the appendages 3-6 (-7.5) mm long, spreading or reflexed, greenish-white and purple tinged. Seeds (10-) 22-45 per fruit, 2.2-2.8 mm long, 1.5-1.9 mm wide, ellipsoid or C-shaped, yellow or brown, the seed coat reticulate (SM), cerebelloid (SEM), the cells irregular in shape, the lateral walls sinuate to strongly sinuate; embryo imbricate.

Distribution.

Capsicum hookerianum is restricted to extra-Andean western Ecuador (Guayas, El Oro, Loja and Manabí Provinces) and northern Peru (Tumbes Department) (Fig. 75 ).

Ecology.

Capsicum hookerianum grows in dry deciduous forests at low elevations (100-1,000 m).

Phenology.

Flowering from November to April (July); fruiting from late December to July.

Chromosome number.

Not known.

Common names.

None recorded.

Uses.

None recorded.

Preliminary conservation assessment.

EOO (32,802.812 km2); AOO (136 km2). Although C. hookerianum has a relatively large extent of occurrence and is found in many localities, some of them protected areas, we observed a continued decline in the area of occupancy outside of official natural reserves; for these reasons, we assign a category of Near Threatened (NT).

Discussion.

Capsicum hookerianum is a member of the Andean clade ( Barboza et al. 2019). This species is unique in growing mostly in extra-Andean lowlands of coastal Ecuador and Peru and can be easily recognised by its dark brown stems, strongly decurrent leaves, intensely bright red fruits and conspicuous fruiting calyx with 10 unequal long appendages, which are sometimes reflexed (Fig. 74 ). Apparently, the corollas have no brownish or purple pigmentation, since collectors only mention dull yellow or ochre corollas on herbarium labels. We were unable to locate this species in flower in the field.

Capsicum hookerianum is sympatric with the widespread C. rhomboideum which is a more vigorous plant with dense, branched pubescence and multi-flowered inflorescences with up to 12 flowers (Fig. 113 ); C. hookerianum has simple trichomes and 2-7 flowers in each inflorescence.

Duplicates of the type collection of C. eggersii are distributed in several Herbaria (CORD, F, K, L, M, P, US). At CORD and F, there are small fragments taken from other specimens (e.g. fragments accompanying F neg. 2867 from B and fragments in CORD taken from the duplicate in L), whereas in the remaining herbaria, the specimens consist of good fertile material. We have selected the most complete and best-preserved sheet of Eggers 15555 (M-0171548) as the lectotype for C. eggersii .

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. material 4: Appendix 4.

Figures

Figure 73. Capsicum hookerianum A flowering branch B eglandular trichome of the leaf C flower D section of the calyx showing the venation E glandular trichome of the abaxial surface of the calyx F sector of opened corolla G gynoecium H fruiting branch I fruit J anatomical detail of the pericarp (note the absence of giant cells in the mesocarp) K seed L seed, in cross section M structure of seed coat at the seed margin N structure of seed coat at the seed body O embryo A-G from Asplund 15241 H-O from Asplund 15363. Drawn by L. Ochoa.

Figure 74. Capsicum hookerianum A plant; B internode with lenticels; C fruiting branch; D immature fruit; E mature fruit; F, G fruiting calyx, front and from behind views, respectively. From Barboza and Leiva Gonzalez 4826. Photos by G. E. Barboza.

Figure 75. Distribution of C. hookerianum and C. lanceolatum.

Figure 113. Capsicum rhomboideum A plant B main stem with lenticels flower buds C branch showing leaf pair dissimilar in shape and size D reproductive branch E flower bud F flower, in lateral view G flower, seen from behind H, J flower, in front view, showing connivent and not connivent anthers, respectively I node with a pendent flower and pedicels scars K mature fruits A, J from Barboza & Leiva Gonzalez 4854 B, D-F from Leiva Gonzalez 6585 C, G from Barboza et al. 5050 H, I, K from M. Scaldaferro 73. Photos by G. E. Barboza.