ARS | Publication request: Species Boundaries and Interrelationships of Solanum Series Piurana

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 2, 2009
Publication Date: July 15, 2009
Citation: Ames, M., Spooner, D.M. 2009. Species Boundaries and Interrelationships of Solanum Series Piurana [abstract]. Botany & Mycology 2009. p. 23.

Technical Abstract: Solanum series Piurana Hawkes is one of 21 series recognized in section Petota Dumort. in the latest comprehensive taxonomic treatment by Hawkes in 1990. Species from this and related series are distributed from southern Colombia, south through Ecuador to central Peru. The limits of the series and validity of its constituent species were unresolved. The series contains mostly diploids (2n = 2x = 24), and three tetraploids (2n = 4x= 48). We previously reported the morphological phenetics of this group, and here report our final taxonomic decisions based on prior morphological data, plastid DNA data, herbarium specimen data, and five nuclear ortholog (COSII) DNA sequences (concatenated length 5342 bp). The morphological study shows low resolution among the species. The COSII data support a three-clade structure within section Petota as well as the monophyly of series Piurana if it includes some species previously classified in seven other series (Conicibaccata Bitter, Cuneoalata Hawkes, Ingaefolia Ochoa, Olmosiana Ochoa, Simplicissima Ochoa, Tuberosa (Rydb.) Hawkes, and Yungasensa Correll). Members of this expanded concept of series Piurana are morphologically defined largely by the presence of moniliform tubers and coriaceous leaves. We reconsidered the species status of members of this expanded series Piurana based on a combination of a history-based (phylogenetic) species concept and a morphological species concept, and reduced the species from 37 to 29.