Lycianthes

Herbs, perennial, or shrubs [vines, epiphytes], rhizomatous or stoloniferous [tuberous roots], hairs simple or branched [stellate], glandular or eglandular. Stems creeping, erect, or ascending, branched. Leaves alternate or geminate; blade margins usually entire and undulate-wavy [remotely dentate]. Inflorescences axillary, solitary flowers or subumbellate. Flowers 5-merous, radially symmetric except for unequal stamens; calyx accrescent or somewhat accrescent, campanulate to obconic (becoming rotate to bowl-shaped in fruit), 10-veined, 5 or 10 veins often extending into 5 or 10 appendages that protrude from calyx below truncate rim; corolla white to pale yellow, or purplish to blue (with a yellow center in L. rantonnetii) [sometimes with contrasting green or purple markings], radial, rotate, or reflexed [campanulate], entire or lobed; stamens inserted near base of corolla limb, equal or unequal; anthers basifixed, lanceolate to elliptic, dehiscing by pores [by longitudinal slits]; ovary 2-carpellate; style straight or curved; stigma capitate to slightly lobed [deeply lobed]. Fruits berries, globose to ellipsoid, fleshy or juicy. Seeds lenticular-compressed to round or angular, (sclerotic granules sometimes present in outer part of mesocarp [these rarely enclosing seeds]). x = 12.

Distribution

Introduced; Mexico, Central America, South America, se Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia.

Discussion

Species 150–200 (2 in the flora).

The flowers of Lycianthes often open and close daily for two to five days in a row; outside the flora area, they are sometimes open only in early morning.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Lycianthes asarifolia, Lycianthes rantonnetii

Key

1	Herbs; corollas greenish white or yellow-white to white.	Lycianthes asarifolia
1	Shrubs; corollas violet-purple to blue, with yellow center.	Lycianthes rantonnetii