Jaltomata dentata

Jaltomata dentata (Ruiz & Pav.) Benítez

Peru

revised 2024

The information on this page may be cited as a communication with
professor Thomas Mione, Central Connecticut State University, Biology Department,
Copernicus Hall, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, Connecticut 06050-4010, USA

Rev. Fac. Agron. (Maracay), IX(1): 91. 1976.

Scholars Bulletin 2(8): 476-484. 2016.

Link to list of edible Jaltomata species

Link to list of local names of Jaltomata species

Link to the Jaltomata of Lima, Peru

Link to a reported medicinal use

above, Figure 1. Jaltomata dentata leaves and flowers. Photo by Segundo Leiva G., without collection number.

below, Figure 2. Ripe fruits of J. dentata. Units along bottom are mm. Photo by T. Mione in Peru, Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 881

Character	Description	Figures on this page	Source of information
Habit & Height	Woody at base, herbaceous above, commonly to 50 cm high (to 70 cm Vilcapoma 2167). Variously described as herb, suffrutescent and even as shrub (Ferreyra 5293) by different collectors. Described as an annual herb (planta herbacea...annua) in protologue but this plant is clearly not an annual given its woody stem	Figure 8
Branches, young	pubescent, short, finger hairs, some branched (when grown in the greenhouse in Connecticut, USA: villous, with finger, forked and dendritic hairs 1.5–4 mm long, all gland-tipped, Mione et al. 881)
older	woody, to x mm diam	Figure 8
Leaves, size
blade shape including margin
blade texture
hairs	upper face: pubescent with mostly dendritic hairs, but also a few finger-like hairs (outdoor-grown). lower face: pubescent with a mixture of dendritc and finger hairs (outdoor-grown)	Hypocotyl, cotyledons and first-foliage leaves of seedlings are pubescent with unpigmented conspicuously gland-tipped finger hairs (Nov 2016)	Mione et al. 881 grown for study
petiole
Inflorescence	up to 11 flowers per inflorescence		Mione et al. 881 grown for study at CCSU
peduncle	0 to 3.8 cm
pedicel
Calyx at flowering	Green, the lobes darker, 5 mm from lobe tip to lobe tip (flat to ruler), 2.2 mm from pedicel's base to lobe tip (both measurements flat to ruler), densely pubescent with mostly dendritic hairs		Mione et al. 881 grown for study at CCSU
at fruit maturity
Corolla color	purple, the throat green	Figure 1
green spots	yes: five pairs of green spots, also visible from the side and back of flower	Figures 1, 3
purple ring	yes if purple corolla is homologous with purple ring of other species
purple in base of corolla	no
shape and size	crateriform ("rotate-campanulate" Macbride 1962)
lobes/lobules	10 total, the lobules small and inconspicuous compared to the lobes; in some views the lobules absent	Figure 1
hairs	Hairs not gland-tipped, not droplet tipped. Abaxially densenly pubescent, the hairs mostly finger-like but a few are forked and a few are dendritic; adaxially (inner face) also pubescent, the nectar zone (the green throat) glabrous.
radial thickenings	no		Mione et al. 881 grown for study at CCSU
Stamen length including anther	4 mm
filaments	pubescent on proximal 26% of the length
anther color	yellowish, the connective greenish on outer face
anther size
anther mucronate/mucronulate
anthers of a flower open simultaneously?	no	Figure 5
pollen grain size	22 - 26.25 micrometers, mean 23.8 micrometers		Mione et al. 618, 15 grains, flowers collected in Peru (not grown for study)
Stigma	green, 0.6 X 0.45 mm (overhead view, with dissecting microscope)		living flowers of Mione 881
Style	pale-green to off-white, 5.8 to 6.5 mm long		living flowers of Mione 881
Ovary	The ovary 1.9 mm wide X 1.2 mm high; the disk (orange) occupying 75% of height of the ovary		living flowers of Mione 881
Nectar	amber in color		to view color, nectar was removed from a flower with a pipette and put on to white nonporous surface (twice, two different months, both amber)
Herkogamy	yes
Protogyny	yes		first observation of this by Paul R. Wilson, on a plant grown for study
Fruit color at maturity	orange	Figure 2	field observations
Fruit size and seeds per fruit	8.5 X 10 mm contained 64 seeds 8.5 X 11.5 contained 79 seeds		field-collected fruits, both observations Mione et al. 881
Seed Size
Character	Description of Jaltomata dentata	Figures on this web page

Nectar volumes and sugar concentrations, greenhouse plants watered daily. Paul R. Wilson and T. Mione

mm of nectar in microcapillary tube	microliters of nectar	dilution with water if any	raw refractometer reading if nectar was diluted	Brix (estimated sugar concentration)	Date	Temperature	Refractometer	Humidity
5	0.93	no	no	16	Nov 2017	not recorded	B & S	not recorded
6	1.12	no	no	17.5	Nov 2017	not recorded	B & S	not recorded

Each row in the above table is the data from one flower. Flowers were of unknown age but were all in the hermaphroditic phase; there was no prior removal of nectar from the flowers.

Character	Description
Growability in Connecticut, USA	Grows well in greenhouse but seldom produces flowers. When plants do produce flowers they do not develop properly. This is a mystery, because generally Jaltomata species thrive in greenhouses except for July and August when it is too hot for Jaltomata.	Four months from seed germination to flowering: For the first flowers to be produced it took from 13 Nov 2016 when seeds first germinated to 19 March 2017.
How long does it take from flower to ripe fruit?	no data	no data
Flowers Closing For The Night?	Yes	Observation (on Mione et al. 881) by Mione at 9:00 pm in September of 2017
Self-Compatible?	Yes	Observation (on Mione 881) by Paul R. Wilson in the fall of 2021. He wrote "one plant set fruit without any other conspecific plants in the vicinity"
Seed Germination	Seeds were stored from 25 May 2016 until 6 September 2016, about 3.5 months. A heat mat was under the seed cups; the seed coat was not removed, and no GA was applied. First germination 13 November 2016, more than two months after seeds were sown.	Mione et al. 881
Chromosome number	no data
Character

Table X. Pollen Quantity and Ovule Quantity Per Flower
Collection	Pollen Quantity	Ovules	Ratio of Pollen to Ovules	Counted By Date counted	grown for study versus flower preserved during fieldwork in Latin America
609	38,200	58	659	pollen count by Emmett P. Varricchio, ovule count by T. M.	flower from wild plant collected in Peru
618	53,500	60	892	pollen count by Emmett P. Varricchio, ovule count by T. M.	flower from wild plant collected in Peru

881	43,125	45	958	pollen count by Demir Camdzic, ovule count by T. M.; 2017	flower from plant grown in Connecticut, USA
881	58,750	48	1224	pollen count by Demir Camdzic, ovule count by T. M.; 2017	flower from plant grown in Connecticut, USA
			mean: 933

Figure 3, above. Jaltomata dentata leaves and flowers. Photo by Segundo Leiva G., without collection number.

Figure 4, below. View at collection locality in Peru, Department Lima, highway from Lima toward La Oroya, Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 881. Photo by T. Mione.

Flowers December-February and fruits in April-May (Vilcapoma Segovia 2007). Flowering in Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr and Aug (see the following table).

Geographic and Altitudinal Distribution: Peru, Department Lima, elevation 2600 to 3600 m.

Department	Province	Locality	elev- ation	habitat	date	collector	Data Entry
Lima	Canta	TYPE: Obrajillo 76 36' 33" W, 11 26' 40" S	2732	no data	early Feb 1788	Ruiz s.n. (lectotype: MA not seen; Isotype: G!); photo of type (B, destroyed) F neg. 2550 G! GH! NY! WIS!	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	Lachaqui	3200-3500	tierra arcillosa	26 Dec 1972	G. Vilcapoma S. 112 (US)	Aug 2010
Lima	Canta	about 17 km above Canta toward Huaros	3500	roadside bank	3 Mar 1976	S. G. Saunders 1391 (K)	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	Lachaqui, camino hacia Arahuay	3500	monte bajo perenne, con veg. herbácea	9 Apr 1993	G. Vilcapoma S. 2167	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	cerca a Lachaqui	3350	ladera con monte arbustivo	30 Mar 1991	A. Granda P. 230	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	alrededores de la ciudad de Canta	2700-2800	tierras cultivables	9 Apr 1998	G. Vilcapoma S. 4739	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	Huaros: arriba de pueblo	3600	ladera con arbustos dispersos	24 Feb 1992	A. Granda & J. Alegría 320	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	Ruta Canta - Obrajillo	2730	borde de carretera entre Ambrosia peruviana	14 Jan 1998	S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 2116; T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 609	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	San Miguel (SOME PLANTS AT THIS LOCALITY LACK STAMENS)	2665	roadside		T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 610 (purple cor) & 611 (white cor)	Feb 2007
Lima	Canta	Ruta Obrajillo - San Martín	2665	borde de carretera entra Carica candicans	14 Jan 1998	S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 2119; T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 613	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	type of Saracha lobata Bitter. Lima to Oroya road, southwest of Matucana	3000	on stony ground	28 Dec 1901	Weberbauer 206 (Holotype B, destroyed, F neg. 2553)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	type of Saracha sordideviolacea Bitter. Lima to Oroya highway, "uber Matucana"	2600	Fix: get help with German in protologue	26 Mar 1910	Weberbauer 5258 (Holotype B, destroyed, F neg. 2556)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	Matucana	2440	no data	14-18 Mar 1923	J. F. Macbride 2950 (GH NY US)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	between San Mateo & Río Blanco	3300-3400	rocoso, falda moradas	17 Jan 1949	R. Ferreyra 5293 (US)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	Huaquícha arriba de Surco	2900	no data	9 Mar 1974	E. Cerrate 5825A (MO)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	km 101 carretera Lima-La Oroya	3245	borde de carretera	16 Jan 1998	S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 2124; T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 618	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	S 11' 43.909, W 076' 16.088	3475	borde de carretera	25 May 2016	S. Leiva G., T. Mione, L. Yacher 6081; T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 881	July 2016
Lima	Huarochirí	Bosque Zárate (Gigantón)	2860	see footnote	29 Aug 1977	Valencia 266 (NY)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	Bosque Zárate (Gigantón)	2870	see footnote	4 Mar 1980	Valencia 575 (NY)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	Bosque Zárate (Gigantón)	2860	see footnote	20 Apr 1980	Valencia 886 (NY)	Feb 2007
Lima	Huarochirí	Bosque Zárate (Gatero)	2860	see footnote	1 May 1981	Valencia 1237 (NY)	Feb 2007
Lima	Yauyos	ca. 1 km NE of Cacra on the footpath to Hongos: 75.767 W, 12.867 S	2880	along the slope along the side of the path	9 Mar 1999	D. M. Spooner et al. 7302a (WIS)	Feb 2007
Lima	Yauyos	ca. 1 km NE of Cacra on the footpath to Hongos: 75.767 W, 12.867 S	2880	sandy & rocky soil, along the slope along the side of the path	9 Mar 1999	D. M. Spooner et al. 7302b (WIS)	Feb 2007

Footnote: "Forested areas in the western slope of the Peruvian Andes (like Bosque de Zárate) follow a patchy distribution, they are sometimes called dry cloud forests. They are usually present between 2500 to 3200 m, at an altitude where mist is frequent during the wet season, and are more abundant, larger and denser in North Peruvian territory" (Arturo Granda P., personal correspondence 2007).

above, Figure 5 Jaltomata dentata leaves and flowers. In flower at right, note that two anthers have dehisced and three have not, nonsimultaneous anther dehiscence. Photo by Segundo Leiva G., without collection number.

below, Figure 6. Ripe fruits of J. dentata. Units along bottom are mm. Photo by T. Mione in Peru, Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 881

above, Figure 7. Woody stem of Jaltomata dentata, units at left are mm, Photo by T. Mione in Peru, Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 881

Figure 8. Woody stem of Jaltomata dentata, smallest units are mm, Photo by T. Mione in CCSU greenhouse, Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 881

Paul R. Wilson's Observation:
In late October 2020, leaves that were completely encased in ice were apparently undamaged although leaves that were exposed to the air wilted beyond recovery. The previous day's high temp was 33F and the overnight low was 25F. While further observations are necessary, this suggests that the plants can withstand freezing temperatures as long as they freeze quickly enough to avoid dehydration.

Figure 9. Very near type locality.

The smallest units are mm on the ruler behind the flowers.

Photo taken prior to digital cameras, hence the mediocre quality, Mione, Leiva G. and Yacher 609.

Synonyms
basionym: Saracha dentata Ruiz & Pav., Fl. Peruv. 2: 43, tab. 171 b. 1797.
Atropa dentata (R. & P.) Spreng. Syst. Veget. 1: 699. 1815.
Bellinia dentata (R. & P.) Roemer & Schultes, Syst. Vegetabil. 4: 687. 1819.
Witheringia dentata (R.&P.) Miers, Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, 11: 92. 1853. Ill. S. Amer. Pl. 2: App. 56. 1857.

Redescribed:
1) Spreng. Syst. Veget. 1:699
2) G. Don Gen.Syst.
3) Dunal, DC. Prodr. 13(1): 432. 1852.
4) Macbride

According to Macbride (1962) H. Weberbaueri Bitter (F neg. 2532) is a synonym, but his statement is not supported by data. Follow this link and then look for H. weberbaueri Bitter to see my explanation.