Morphological Analysis of Three Equivocal Sibling Species of Deprea (Solanaceae)

• Published in: Brittonia Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 524 - 535
• Main Authors: Sawyer, Neil W., Carmen E. Benítez de Rojas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York New York Botanical Garden 01.10.1998; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthers; Biological taxonomies; Calyx; Corolla; Fruiting; Fruits; Genera; Hair; Herbaria; Lectotypes; Morphology; Plant morphology; Plants; Sibling species; Sympatric populations
• ISSN: 0007-196X; 1938-436X
• DOI: 10.2307/2807764

Taxonomic confusion among closely related and morphologically similar Deprea species has persisted in the literature and in the identification of species. Morphological variation among three closely related, monophyletic Deprea species was studied to determine if and how they can be distinguished. Their sympatric occurrence in Venezuela afforded an opportunity to couple field study with analysis of herbarium specimens representing their entire geographic range. An analysis of 94 morphological characters resulted in five vegetative and 13 reproductive taxonomically informative traits. Canonical variates analysis clearly separated the three species using six quantitative traits. We conclude that these taxa, although quite variable and similar morphologically, are taxonomically distinct. Results of character analysis indicated that D. orinocensis is morphologically more similar to D. bitteriana than either are to D. paneroi. In D. paneroi, small, sterile anthers on fruit-bearing plants and the absence of fruits on plants possessing large, pollenbeargin anthers, suggest cryptic dioecy. Based on these data, D. granulosa is considered to be a synonym of D. orinocensis. Athenaea bitteriana, a misapplied synonym, is the correct basionym and is applicable to many specimens identified as D. granulosa. We submit a new combination, D. bitteriana (Werderm.) Sawyer & Benítez, and designate a lectotype to accommodate these findings.