Upper Left: Flower of D. Spooner et al. 7024 (Guatemala, 2750 m). Long peduncle evident. Stamens angle away from style.

Upper Right: Back of flower of D. Spooner et al. 7035 (Guatemala, 2680 m)

Left: Immature fruits of D. Spooner et al. 7035

Photos by Mione of plants grown in Connecticut from seeds generously provided by D. M. Spooner. At this writing (August 2007) Mione is not sure if these plants represent J. laxa. The peduncle of Spooner's 7024 is long like J. laxa, and the plants are from high altitude like J. laxa, but the corolla maculae do not extend most of the way out to the tip of the corolla lobe like on the type of J. laxa.

Saracha laxa Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser 2, 3: 447. 1849.
Type: Mexico. Oaxaca, Galeotti 1169 (Holotype: K!
Isotype: W, photo of W specimen, F neg. 33137, F!, GH!, WIS!
Isotype: BM ("Hooker's herbarium") according to Miers l.c.) 
Saracha diffusa Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser 2, 3: 451. 1849. 
Not Saracha diffusa Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 3: 447. 1849. 
Saracha miersii Dunal and A. DeCand., D. C. Prodr. 13(1): 684. 1852. 
C. V. Morton (unpublished notes) independently established the same synonymy. 
Nee (1986) did not recognize this species: he placed Saracha laxa Miers and S. miersii Dunal and A. DeCand. in synonymy with J. procumbens (Cav.) J. L. Gentry. Mione, too, did not recognize this species in the late 1990s and annotated many of the specimens listed below as J. procumbens. At this writing, August 2007, Mione creates this web page to draw attention to the possibility of laxa being a distinct species.

Herbaceous and 0.5 - 1.5 m high. 
Leaves highly variable, ovate or ovate and basally truncate or ovate and terminally acuminate; entire to toothed; blades to 20 cm long and 9.5 cm wide. 
Peduncle 5 - 9.4 cm long; about 3 times as long as pedicel; on more distal portions of branches peduncle and pedicel length are similar, and on some specimens only the latter condition is shown (e.g., N. Maldonado V. 179). 
Inflorescence up to 9 flowered. 
Corolla rotate; pale green or whitish; 2.4 - 3.1 cm in diameter; maculae (green) extending more than half way to lobe. 
Filaments, slender part glabrous, expanded base pubescent.
Style 7.5 - 8 mm long.   
Infructescence up to 5 fruited.  Fruits black. 
Description based on herbarium specimens.

    Jaltomata laxa is similar to and may merely be an ecotype of J. procumbens. On the type specimen of J. laxa green maculae of the corolla face extend more than half way to tip of corolla lobe, and peduncles are three times longer than pedicels. In contrast, on J. procumbens the corolla maculae do not extend beyond half way to tip of corolla and peduncles are shorter than three times as long as pedicels. David Spooner's specimen 958a has both long peduncles and the corolla maculae extend out to the tip of the corolla lobe, and so may represent a re-collection from near the type locality (no one knows where exactly Galeotti 1169 was collected). I have never been certain that J. laxa should be treated as a species distinct from J. procumbens and more field work is needed in Oaxaca to see if there is a cline or if J. procumbens and J. laxa are distinct entities.

     Distribution and Habitat: The type is from Oaxaca, Mexico, woods, 6 - 8000 feet of elevation, according to Kew's type specimen (altitude not mentioned in protologue). The specimens below from Guatemala may or may not represent J. laxa, more fieldwork is needed.