Jaltomata oppositifolia   Photo taken in Peru by Thomas Mione   Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 674   Corolla maculae (green) easy to see as are corolla lobules
	Jaltomata oppositifolia   Photo taken in Peru by Thomas Mione Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 674 lustrousness of leaves evident   Corolla maculae (green) evident through base of corolla

Jaltomata oppositifolia S. Leiva & Mione. Novon 17: 49-58. 2007.
Type: Peru. Cajamarca: Province Chota, Bosque el Pargo (between Llama & Huambos), 3050 m, 19 June 1999, S. Leiva G., T. Mione & L. Yacher 2376
(holotype, HAO; isotypes, C, CORD, MO).

Frutex; laminae ad 4 x 1.8 cm, glabrae lucentes; inflorescentia 2 (-3)-flora; corolla late infundibulari-rotata, alba, faux quinque paribus maculae viridium instructa, limbus 12--13 mm latus, lobis 10; stamina 5--6.5 mm, antherae 1.05--1.65 mm; styli 6.5--8 mm.

Shrub to 1.2 m high, learning on other vegetation or erect; young axes nearly terete, purple. Woody stems terete, glabrous, to 2 cm in diameter, brown.
Leaves usually geminate, the blade eliptic to lanceolate, to 4 X 1.7 cm, lustrous, coriaceous, glabrous, the apex acute, the margin entire and ciliolate; petiole 7--10 mm.
Inflorescence axillary, with 2- (3 buds) flowers per inflorescence; peduncle 8--17 mm, terete, purple, glabrous; pedicel 8--17 mm, somewhat angular, purple, glabrous.
Calyx green and nearly rotate during anthesis, 6.5--8 mm across, the lobes deltoid, glabrous except for scattered glands on both faces, the margin ciliolate; at fruiting to 17 mm across.
Corolla broadly infundibular to rotate, white with two green maculae flanking the radial vein extending to the tip of each lobe (easy to see in above photos), 12--13 mm across, 10-lobed: 5 lobes alternating with 5 lobules, the lobes triangular, adaxially glabrous on herbarium specimens but pilosulose with gland-tipped finger hairs 0.1 mm long on fresh specimens, abaxially with glands, the margin ciliate with finger hairs 0.5 mm long.
Stamens 5--6.5 mm; filaments off-white, pubescent on proximal 55--70% of the length with unpigmented finger hairs;
anthers yellow, 1.05--1.65 mm.
Style 6.5--8 mm, off-white; stigma capitate, shallowly bilobed (obscured by pressing), green, 0.51--0.84 mm, exserted 2--2.4 mm beyond corolla; gynoecium glabrous except for stigma papillae 40 µm long; disk girdling base of ovary.
Berries subspherical, orange and to 12 mm across at maturity; seeds to 106 per fruit, 1.45 X 1.15 X 0.45 mm.

     Discussion. Jaltomata oppositifolia is similar to collection Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 744 and J. salpoensis S. Leiva & Mione. These are all woody, have lustrous, entire leaves, lustrous peduncles and pedicels, a white corolla, and grow in northern Peru. Jaltomata oppositifolia has an upright habit, conspicuous corolla lobules, stamens are 5--6.5 mm long, anthers are yellow, and the style is 6.5--8 mm long. Jaltomata salpoensis, on the other hand, is sometimes prostrate, the crateriform corolla lacks lobules, stamens are 2.5--3 mm long, anthers are white, and the style is two mm long (Leiva & Mione, 1999).

     Distribution, ecology, and etymology. Jaltomata oppositifolia is known from the type locality and from near the small town of Paraguay, both of Peru, department of Cajamarca, province Chota, between 2250 and 3090 m. This species grows in secondary growth and near streams, but is not common. At the type locality it grows at the edge of one of the last remaining old-growth forests we saw in the region. This forest, Bosque El Pargo, was being cut for wood and agriculture when we visited in 1999. This species flowers and fruits in March, May, June and August. The specific epithet derives from the apparent phyllotaxy.

Paratypes. PERU. Cajamarca: Province Chota, Bosque el Pargo (between Llama & Huambos), S. Leiva G., P. Chuna & J. Cadle 1523 (F, HAO), A. Sagástegui A., S. Leiva G. & V. Quipuzcoa 15996 (HAO), T. Mione, S. Leiva G. & L. Yacher 674 (MO);
a 1 km del poblado de Paraguay (betw. Querocoto & La Granja), S. Leiva G., P. Chuna & J. Cadle 1380 (CORD, F, HAO).

to Jaltomata home page
to Jaltomata of Peru, Department Cajamarca

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.

	Jaltomata oppositifolia photo by Thomas Mione at the University of Connecticut Greenhouse, of plants grown from seeds collected when Mione, Leiva G. & Yacher 674 was pressed note: stigma beyond dehisced anthers (herkogamy)
	Jaltomata oppositifolia   Left: photo by Segundo Leiva G. taken at Bosque El Pargo