Jaltomata
 Herbacious, Flower Green & Solitary, Nectar Orange/Red, Fruit Very Pale Green
Peru 
Link to Jaltomata
home page
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, United States of America.
Link to Jaltomata of
La Libertad, Peru

Hairs not gland-tipped. Flowers solitary. Corolla large, green, campanulate. Tough, bowl-shaped layer of tissue formed by the bases of the stamens (see photos). Style widest at base and gradually narowing toward apex; stigma no wider than top of style. ORANGE NECTAR pools around ovary not on the corolla but on the tissue forming a bowl by fusion of the bases of the stamens. Berries very pale green at maturity.
The two large photos that follow were taken by Clinton Morse at the Univ of Connecticut, 2008.


 

Nectar (orange-red) pools around ovary on a bowl-shaped ring of (presumably staminal) tissue. (Leiva G. 3155, photo by Segundo Leiva G.)

Flower bud (upper left), open flower in pistillate phase (lower left), open flower in hermaphroditic phase (lower right), ripe fruit is very pale green (upper right). (Photo by Segundo Leiva G.)
Above: Jaltomata at center of photo and right of center. Hummingbird reapeatedly visted the flowers. Bird visible in photo under the letter H of humminbird. We determined, by remaining at the site and making observations, that the only flowers that had nectar were those that were not found by the hummingbirds, others were lacking nectar because the birds were repeatedly visiting and removing nectar by vising as many flowes as they could find. Leiva 3658 = Mione 758, 23 March 2007. Photo by Tom Mione.
Habitat
(Photo by Segundo Leiva G., March 2007)
Flower, showing that the nectar pools not on the corolla but on tissue formed by fused bases of the stamens (Photo by Tom Mione in Peru, 758) Above: bowl-shaped ring of tissue formed by the base of the androecium (flower stored in ethanol, photo by Thomas Mione in Connecticut with dissecting scope, Leiva 3154).
Flower in side view (photo by Segundo Leiva G.) Leaves (photo by Segundo Leiva G.)

Above-ground parts die during dry season. Rains come in December January and March (Segundo Leiva, personal communication).

Note ruler (probably 12 cm long) in photo.

Photographed 9 June 2005

 

(photo by Thomas Mione, 711)

Character description
Habit & Height Herbaceous, probably perennial, the above-ground parts completely dying during dry season
Young axes  
Woody axes  
Leaves  
Flowers Per Inflorescence 1
Peduncle & Pedicel  
Calyx  
Corolla green and similar to color of leaves, adaxial face of corolla having a "forest" of gland-tipped finger hairs
Corolla lobes/lobules 5
Radial Cor Thickenings no
Flowers remain open at night?  
Stamens filaments glabrous
Anther length & color  
Pollen Quantity  
Disk around ovary  
Ovules per ovary  
Style length (hermaphroditic phase) Style very rigid, widest at base and gradually narowing toward apex
Stigma stigma no wider than top of style
Gynoecium  
Nectar Orange-red
Herkogamy? Yes, the dehisced anthers are held several mm away from the stigma
Self-compatible? Yes, a manual self-pollination (9 Sept 08) of a hermaphroditic-phase flower resulted in the production of one fruit containing viable-looking seeds, harvested in early November 2008.
Fruit color (at maturity) and size berries very pale green at maturity, confirmed in Peru; 11 X15.5 mm from a plant grown in Connecticut on a windowsill in CCSU's science building
Seeds 250 to 469 seeds (n = 2 fruits)

Seed Germination

(collection 758)

I may have partially removed the seed coat of some of the seeds to facilitate germination, using a razor blade while working under the dissecting scope (comment of August 2008, four months after). Seeds were planted on 7 April 2008, and the first above-ground visible sign of germination was noted on 29 April (22 days after planting). A second seed germinated one month after the seeds were orginally planted (April/May 2008, CCSU greenhouse). The percent of seeds germinating was low (only two germinated out of an uncounted number planted, probably about 30).
Seedling Hairs (collection 758,
observations made May 2008)
All gland-tipped finger, erect, straight, clear, estimated by unaided eye to be about 2 mm long, and covering both faces of leaves, petioles, and axes.
Ecology Grows almost exclusively in the the protection of the spiny leaves of Puya.

Since about 2005 Segundo Leiva has been of the opinion that this species should be segretated into a new genus. The species shown on this page, Jaltomata aspera, and an undescribed species from southern Peru all share a fantastic bowl-like structure (formed by the bases of the stamens) on which nectar pools, and stigma not at all expanded with style tapering to a point, berries very pale green at maturity, and ripe fruit hidden in side view by the calyx. We are not sure if all three of these species share the herbaceous habit.

Specimens Examined: all Peru, Department La Libertad, province Otuzco:

Location
elevation m
habitat
collection date
collectors
comments
4 km S of Puente Casmiche, rd from Trujillo to Otuzco
7.8 W, 78.5 S
1870
sandy and rocky soil 18 March 1999 D M. Spooner et al. 7315a herbarium of Thomas Mione
above the town of Platanar on way to town Cucualle

8 86 S

78 41 47 W

1420 -1453
  11 March 2005 S. Leiva G. 3154  
above the town of Platanar on way to town Cucualle
    S. Leiva G. 3155  
 
1453
    S. Leiva G. 3275  
 
1425 - 1445
sandy, rocky soil 9 June 2005 Mione, Leiva & Yacher 711 photos only, no plant specimen; too dry in June
 
8 00.790 S, 78 41.462 W
1480
rocky, only found with Puya 23 March 2007 Leiva & Mione 3658 = Mione & Levia 758 DNA sample taken

Research in Connecticut, summer 2008, plants of accession Mione 758:

Question 1. Are the flowers protogynous? The first thing I noticed, when this species began to bloom, is that flowers look protogynous because the anthers remain undehisced for one day (phase 1) after the flower opens. To test whether or not the flowers are protogynous (vs just look protogynous) we are manually self-pollinating flowers during phase 1, emasculating at the time of pollination, pollen from the same plant is being applied, and waiting to see if fruit is set. (These tags are labeled A, B, C....)

Question 2. Do unmanipulated flowers set fruit in the absence of pollinators? To answer this question we are using the flowers that were tagged to make observations on floral phenology. After the flower is done, the tag will remain. These tags are labeled 1, 2, 3...... First notes on answer to this question: after the flower has been open for days the corolla changes color to brownish-green/greenish-brown and the flower closes (pinches in) in a manner that may bring the anthers into contact with the stigma (observation of 8 Aug 08). If this is happening, the flowers are exhibiting delayed self-pollination.

Question 3. Does a plant synchronize the flowers, so that at any one time the flowers are in phase 1 or phase 2 (phase 2 = anthers dehisced and stigma receptive)?
Answer: No, flowers of both phases can be seen on one plant at any time (except for the first day of the first flower--at this time only phase 1 is present on the whole plant and the plant is an obligate outcrosser).

Question 4. Is this species SC or SI? To answer this question we are seeing if flowers from question 1 set fruit. Note that to answer question one, pollinations are being done with pollen from the same plant.

Question 5. How much nectar does a flower have at any one time (if nobody/ no pollinator has removed nectar before). Measurements are being made separately for phases 1 and 2, and the time of day is being recorded. Answer: Hermaphroditic phase (phase 2) flowers have 44.5 and 46 microliters (10 Aug 2008, n = 2 flowers). Nectar sucked from microcapillary pipets tastes sweet.

Question 6. Do flowers refill if nectar is removed? Measurements are being made separately for phases 1 and 2, and the time of day is being recorded.

Question 7. What is the sugar concentration of the nectar, as estimated with a refractometer? Measurements are being made separately for phases 1 and 2, and the time of day is being recorded.

Floral Phenology Questions. How long does a flower last (not visited by pollinators)? How long is phase 1(anthers undehisced)? What color is nectar when it first appears? Does the nectar change color while the flower is open? Do flowers close at night? To answer these we are tagging flowers and making observations several times a day.

Floral Phenology Notes

 Data for one flower (tag 1) phase  observations 
 Day 1, 4 Aug 2008
looks pistillate
Anthers undehsiced and cor open. No nectar in the morning, orange nectar in afternoon. Flower color very similar to leaves (unaided eye). Cor was closed yesterday.
 Day 2, 5 Aug
hermaphroditic
8 am - anthers have already dehisced, cor is fully open, orange nectar evident; 12:30 pm - stamens angle out orienting dehisced anthers away from stigma; 6 pm - same
Day 3, 6 Aug  
hermaphroditic
9 am - same as yesterday; noon - wide open; 7 pm - same
 Day 4, 7 Aug
hermaphroditic
8 am - cor wide open, lots of nectar; noon - cor only half open, seems to be closing at the end of its life
Day 5, 8 Aug
corolla closed, possibly self-pollinating
9 am - cor changed color to brownish-green/greenish-brown. Cor closed in a manner that looks like it may bring dehisced anthers into contact with the stigma (speculation); noon - same; 11:30 pm - cor closed with parallel sides, color as at 9 am.
Day 6, 9 Aug
corolla closed
8 am - cor brown and closed, cor not falling off when touched, closed in a manner having parallel sides;
Day 7, 10 Aug corolla closed noon - same; 6 pm - cor closed; 8 pm - cor shriveled but remaining on
Day 8, 11 Aug corolla withering 9 am - cor withering and brown, still present
    Corolla was open for four days. Pollinators were excluded (by placing plant in car). Pistillate-looking phase (phase 1) during its first day. Hermaphroditic phase (phase 2) during subsequent three days. Style quite rigid, possibly an adaptation to hummingbird visitation.

Materials and Methods: Plants from Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 758 were grown in pro-mix, with an unmeasured amount of slow release fertilizer added at each repotting. One plant of two was given to the greenhouse at the University of Connecticut in July of 2008. The second plant was grown on a window sill of an air-conditioned building until August, when it was moved outdoors. When floral phenology observations were made, the time was recorded to the nearest hour.

Top leaf shows abaxial (bottom) face. Bottom leaf shows adaxial (top) face. Mione et al. 758, from seeds collected in Peru, grown on a window sill at Central Connecticut State University, scanned August 2008. Top leaf shows adaxial (top) face. Bottom leaf shows abaxial (bottom) face. Mione et al. 758, from seeds collected in Peru, grown on a window sill at Central Connecticut State University, scanned August 2008.