Jaltomata procumbens (Cav.) J. L. Gentry Link to Jaltomata of Mexico and Central America Link to Jaltomata of Colombia & Venezuela
Link to Jaltomata home page Link to Jaltomata of Costa Rica Link to Jaltomata of Ecuador

Upper: Inflorescence: Left flower is pistillate (anthers undehsiced), right flower is hermaphroditic. Units are mm. Accession 401 from Chiapas grown for study by T. M. in Connecticut.

Lower: Whole plant showing branches and leaves. Ruler (12") horizontally on top of pot for scale. Accession 401 from Chiapas grown for study by T. M. in Connecticut.

Upper: Infructescence with some fruits ripe and others not yet ripe. Accession 401 grown by T. M. for study in Connecticut.

 

Lower: Back of flower showing calyx. Accession 401 grown by T. M. in for study in Connecticut.

Filaments Angle Out:
Note on the top left photo how the filaments angle out, away from the style. This is a characteristic of this species, except accession 321. In the fall of 2004 I noted that the filaments of flowers of accession 548 definitely angle out, away from the style.

Fruits Remain Attached To Parent Plant After Ripening:
In general I have noticed that fruits of J. procumbens remain attached to the parent plant after fruits ripen (except for the accessions that can be referred to as unpublished variety or subspecies tlaxcala, discussed by my former study Larry Coe, 1997). I observed ripe fruits remaining attached both on a plant of accession 548 (kindly grown by L. Coe) and to plants of accession 321, both observed fall 2004.

Seed Germination:
Eleven to 12 days is all it took for seeds of accession 401 to germinate after being stored in the refrigerator from the fall of 1996 until late April 2004. Seeds were planted on 29 April and seedlings were present on 10 May. A very high percentage germinated (the seeds were not counted, but the cup holding the seedlings is absolutely covered with seedlings, so germination seems to be near 100%).

It took 19 days for seeds of accession 548 to germinate, after being stored in the refrigerator for years. Seeds were planted on 29 April and a seedling was noted on 17 May 2004. (Jaltomata procumbens accession 548 was collected in Mexico, Michoacan, Mpio Patzcuaro, fruits sold in main market, by R. Bye, collection number 10200).

Literature Cited


Jaltomata procumbens accession 401 (shown in the top four photos) comes from Chiapas, Mexico, Town of Tzabalhó, which is just north of Chenalho (San Pedro Chenalho). Habitat: growing beside Margarita's house in the cafetal, near the milpa. Margarita said that there is a lot of chichol cho' around. Rainfall is about 2077 mm per year. Mean annual temperature is about 18.4 C. Information provided by Dr. Christine Eber (New Mexico State Univ.), anthropologist and friend of Margarita, who kindly brought the seeds to Connecticut.   Estimated by Mione to be about 16 56/57 N, 92 37 W and 1600 to 1700 m elevation, from the Oxchuc 1:50,000 quadrangle.