Figure 1. Jaltomata repandidentata, Venezuela, about 400 m, C. E. Benítez de Rojas 6436, grown in Connecticut as Mione 701, photo by T. Mione.

Figure 2. Skin of fruit of Jaltomata repandidentata. The ripe fruits are dark purple to the unaided eye, and the purple pigment can be seen here, almost certainly an anthocyanin. Hand-section, wet mount, 400X, no stains were used. Photo by Nicole Henao & Jackie M. Morasutti (alphabetical order) 16 Nov 2012, collection Mione & Coe 555.

Although Jaltomata repandidentata is easy to identify with living and/or alcohol-preserved flowers, no previous researcher recognized this species as growing in Central America.  Writers of Floras of Central America were unaware that many of the specimens of J. repandidentata were misidentified as J. procumbens.  As expected based on morphological characters, the collections I identified as J. repandidentata group together in phylogenetic trees.  DNA evidence is concordant with my conclusions based on morphology!  Powell (2007) studied the floral phenology and delayed self-pollination of this species. A mini-study of floral phenology is shown at the bottom of this web page.

Taxonomic History

Link to local names of this species

Mexico Specimens
J. repandidentata
arranged roughly north to south, and then chronological within each state

Peru specimens, Jaltomata repandidentata

Trichome of seedling of Jaltomata repandidentata. When the seedling was about 1 cm high trichomes are 0.49 to 0.71 mm long on stem (hypocotly) and 0.22 mm long on margin of cotyledon. Trichomes are unbranched and have a bulbous terminal cell that stains densely with neutral red (shown in this photo). The other (non-terminal) cells have conspicuous nuclei, and the terminal cell probably has a nucleus but it was not seen. Photographed March 2009 by TM, Mione 605; grown in the CCSU greenhouse.

Flower of Jaltomata repandidentata on an herbarium specimen.     Please note, on the photo to left: curved style, bilobed stigma, sigmoid filaments, and anthers (from left to right) 1.68, 1.95, 2.13, 2.13 and 1.875 mm long Tilton Davis 766.

Number of days, after planting seeds, until I saw above-ground evidence of seed germination
(prior to planting seeds were stored in a refrigerator)

Floral Phenology of Jaltomata repandidentata

Abbreviations for following mini-study of floral phenology:

P = flower is pistillate (anthers remain undehisced)

P & CC = pistillate & corolla closed in the afternoon after a day of being open. I could see that the flower was still pistillate because I could look into the flower and see undehisced anthers.

H = hermaphroditic (anthers have dehisced)

H minus x = hermaphroditic but with x number of anthers soon to open (still closed)

HNSP = has not self-pollinated. There is no pollen on the stigma, stigma observed with a 14X hand lens.

SP = self-pollinated in a windless pollinator-free environment. There is pollen on the stigma, pollen seen with a 14X hand lens.

Corolla Abscission - the stamens are attached to the corolla, so of course when the corolla drops (abscises) the stamens go with it. When gravity brings the abscised corolla-androecium unit down, this may be when self-pollination takes place.

Summary: Four of the five flowers lasted only two days, one day of protogyny followed by one day of hermaphroditism. Anthers do not dehisce simultaneously. The flower self-pollinates after being pistillate for (on four out of five flowers) at least one full day, but I don't know if my gentle handling of the flowers (to look at the stigma with a hand lens) contributed to self-pollination.

Footnotes:
A - stigma is at same height as the dehisced anthers of the longer stamens, but stigma is orienting to the side away from anthers because of the curvature of the style
B - stigma exserted beyond distal end of anthers by one to two mm.
C - stigma is at the same height as the proximal end of the anthers of the longest stamens
D - flower looks exactly like the one shown in the black & white photo above (third photo down from the top), in terms of its positioning of appendages
E - I made these observations eight hours after the last observations simply because I forgot at 8:00 am to check the stigmas with the hand lens. Nothing visibly changes after corolla abscission.

Materials and Methods:
This mini-study was done by TM on accession 605 in the CCSU greenhouse October 2006. A 14X hand lens was used to check for the presence of pollen on stigmas. The greenhouse is heated, and so it felt warm in the greenhouse while I was checking the flowers (cooler temperatures may result in flowers lasting longer).

Discussion:
These observations are in general agreement with those of Polsgrove et al. (1993). In this mini-study flowers self-pollinated, but I don't know if my gentle handling of the flowers (to look at the stigma with a hand lens) caused self-pollination. My other observations of the floral phenology of this species revealed some flowers that lasted three days: one day pistillate followed by two days of hermaphroditism (accessions 362 & 565, 3 flowers, data gathered in April of 1992 in the UConn greenhouse). Davis (1986) reported on the floral phenology of Jaltomata procumbens, and found a similar situation: delayed self-pollination.

Remaining Question:
When exactly does the pollen get on the stigma?