Solanum jamaicense Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8 Solanum 17. 1768.

Aubriot, Xavier & Knapp, Sandra, 2022, A revision of the " spiny solanums " of Tropical Asia (Solanum, the Leptostemonum Clade, Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 198, pp. 1-270 : 1

21. Solanum jamaicense Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8 Solanum 17. 1768.

Fig. 22E, F No names based on tropical Asian types have been published; for complete synonymy see D’Arcy 1974.

Type.

Jamaica: " Solanum bacciferum caule et foliis tomentis incanis spiosis, flor luteo, fructu croceo, minore Sl. Cat: 107" [as Herb. Sloane 107 in D’Arcy 1974a, a correctable error], W. Houstoun s.n. (lectotype, designated by D’Arcy 1974a, pg. 865, as “type”: BM [BM000815972]) .

Description.

D’Arcy (1974a: 685-686); Nee (1993: 77-78); http://www.solanaceaesource.org/solanaceae/solanum-jamaicense.

Distribution.

Solanum jamaicense has been recorded from Indonesia (islands of Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra) and the Philippines in tropical Asia, the single collection we have seen from China was cultivated; it is native to the Caribbean, Central and South America, where it occurs in forests and forest margins. It is also known from the state of Florida (United States of America).

Discussion.

Solanum jamaicense is apparently only sporadically adventive in rainforest areas; most collections are from around logging camps. It is not easily confused with any other from the region. Its sharply hooked prickles, attenuate, decurrent leaves, and tiny flowers and fruits are distinctive.

Solanum jamaicense has been identified as a potential problematic weed in the state of Florida ( Diaz et al. 2008) where it is locally invasive in the hammock habitat in the central part of the state where it was first recorded in 1930. It has not yet, however, become more widely distributed there.

D’Arcy (1974a) inadvertently lectotypified S. jamaicense by citing the specimen collected by William Houstoun at BM (BM000815972) labelled with the polynomial used in the protologue that came from Philip Miller’s herbarium. Although Miller (1768) did not cite Houstoun explicitly in the protologue of S. jamaicense , he had access to Houstoun’s collections before 1768, so this specimen qualifies as original material. He did cite Houstoun in association with this polynomial in earlier editions of the “Gardener’s dictionary" (J. Wajer, pers. comm.). An annotation at the base of the twig in Daniel Solander’s hand " Solanum Jamiacense Mill dict" indicates the sheet was part of Miller’s herbarium used for the dictionary and had been filed as S. jamaicense prior to the herbarium coming to BM. We consider the use of "Herb. Sloane" rather than "Sl[oane]. Cat[alogue]:" by D’Arcy (1974a), and subsequently followed by others ( Nee 1993), to be a correctable error; therefore, a second step lectotypification is not needed.

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. materials 1-3.

Figures

Figure 22. Introduced species of Solanum. Solanum chrysotrichum Schltdl. A detail of inflorescence (field photograph, unvouchered, India). Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. B habit (Sampath Kumar et al. 126972, India) C detail view of a flower (Sampath Kumar et al. 126972, India) D detail view of a fruit (field photograph, unvouchered, India). Solanum jamaicense Mill. E detail view of a flower (Stern 265, Trinidad and Tobago) F detail view of fruits (Stern 265, Trinidad and Tobago). Solanum macrocarpon L. G detail view of flower (in cultivation at GAFL Avignon, unvouchered) H detail view of fruit (in cultivation at Radboud University, Nigmegen, unvouchered, material now at CGN, Wageningen). Photograph credits: A S. Knapp B-D X. Aubriot E, F S. Stern G, H S. Knapp.