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Capsicum regale Barboza & Bohs, sp. nov., a new species from the tropical wet forests of the eastern Andean slopes (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) is described and illustrated. This new species belongs to the Andean clade (all species 2n = 26) of Capsicum and is similar to C. longifolium Barboza & S.Leiva in its glabrescence, calyx morphology, and corolla and seed color but differs in its membranous and elliptic leaves, fleshy calyces, deeper stellate corollas, longer filaments, longer and purple fruiting pedicels, purple berries, and larger seeds. Its chromosome number was counted (2n = 26), a preliminary assessment of conservation status is given and discussed, and an updated identification key to the species of the Andean clade is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant domestication genetics has been of interest not only for evolutionary biologists but also for anthropologists and breeders, because of its past and present role in human cultural evolution. Capsicum baccatum, which grows in the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests of South America (SDTF), was domesticated by native peoples and used as a spice. The centre of domestication has been discussed, and vast territories of Peru and Bolivia have been proposed. The aims of this research were to elucidate the geographical origin of cultivated C. baccatum and to infer geological and climate events that have influenced the distribution of its genetic variability. Samples were collected from 25 localities across the entire range of wild C. baccatum and analysed using DNA sequences and phylogeographical approaches; they were then compared with 20 samples of cultivated forms obtained from different South American markets. We found a main centre of C. baccatum domestication spanning Bolivian Amazonia and the inter-Andean valleys. We also inferred an ancient cultivation site between Bolivia and Argentina. Finally, we found two lineages of wild populations distributed in nuclei of SDTFs which have been fragmented during glacial periods, when aridity increased and expansion of Chaco vegetation fragmented the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Morelloid clade, also known as the black nightshades or "Maurella" (Morella), is one of the 10 major clades within the mega-diverse genus Solanum L. The clade is most diverse in the central to southern Andes, but species occur around the tropics and subtropics, some extending well into the temperate zone. Plants of the group vary from herbs to short-lived perennials to perennial shrubs that are distinctly woody at the base, they have small mostly white or purplish white flowers and small juicy berries. Due to the complex morphological variation and weedy nature of these plants, coupled with the large number of published synonyms (especially for European taxa), our understanding of species limits and diversity in the Morelloid clade has lagged behind that of other clades in Solanum. Here we provide the last in a three-part series of monographic treatments of the morelloid solanums (see PhytoKeys Vols. 106, 125), treating the 62 species occurring in South America. This region is by far the most diverse in the clade, both in terms of species number and morphological diversity. We provide complete synonymy, nomenclatural details, including lecto- and neotypifications where needed, common names and uses, morphological descriptions, illustrations to aid identification both in herbaria and in the field, and distribution maps for all native, non-cultivated species. We include a key to all species, a synoptic character list for the species treated here and links to synoptic online keys for all species of the Morelloid clade. Preliminary conservation assessments following IUCN guidelines are also provided for all native species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-seven South American species representing seven sections of Solanum subgen. Leptostemonum were analyzed. Andromonoecious as well as hermaphrodite species were considered. The length and width of their fruits was measured, and the number of seeds per fruit was counted. Medial cross sections of fresh, ripe fruits were observed with a stereoscopic microscope and illustrated. Six placentation patterns and three types of seeds were described. A relationship among seed number, fruit size, fruit color and sexual system was detected by means of statistical analysis. These results suggest that andromonoecy affects fruit size and placentation patterns, in order to contain a higher number of seeds per fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Austral South American Polystichum is a monophyletic group. • Its species diverged from an Austral common ancestor in the late Miocene. • Orogenic and climatic changes in the Pliocene-Pleistocene are congruent with its diversification. • Austral South American and Australasian species constitute a polyploid lineage. • Polystichum diversity in South America results from three to four separate lineages. A group of seven endemic Polystichum species inhabit Patagonia , the southern region of South America. To date, evolutionary relationships of these Austral South American Polystichum remain unknown. The biota of the Southern Andes appears to be more closely related to the temperate Australasian species than to northern South American ones. Differences in morphological characters suggested that Austral South American Polystichum follows that biogeographical pattern, not being closely related to their congeners in the Northern and Central Andes. We sought to reveal the evolutionary relationships, estimate the divergence times and reconstruct both ancestral areas and ancestral ploidy levels of Austral South America Polystichum. Phylogenetic relationships were estimated using maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. The seven Austral South American species plus 31 Polystichum species spanning all other major biogeographic regions were sampled for three DNA markers. Divergence times were estimated in BEAST and Bayesian binary Markov chain Monte Carlo reconstruction was applied in order to infer ancestral areas. The evolution of ploidy was reconstructed on the maximum clade credibility tree, using stochastic character mapping. Austral South American Polystichum was recovered as monophyletic. The earliest divergence reconstructed within the Austral South American Clade was that of Polystichum andinum ; subsequently two other lineages diverged comprising the remaining Austral South American species. The Austral South American lineage is not closely allied to North and Central Andes congeners. Long-distance dispersal of an ancestral tetraploid from Australasia during the late Miocene is the most likely explanation for the origin of Patagonian Polystichum. Then, Pliocene and Pleistocene orogenic and climatic changes may have shaped its diversification in Patagonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides information on the diversity and distribution patterns of Salpichroa species along the Andes. We analyzed a database of 855 georeferenced herbarium collections, of a total of 1205 studied specimens, of which 99% came from Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina. Twenty two species are recognized, of which 19 are found in Peru, the country with the greatest diversity of Salpichroa, compared to Bolivia (8), Ecuador (5), Argentina (4), Chile (3), Colombia (2), Venezuela (2), Uruguay (1), Paraguay (1), and Brazil (1). In general, Salpichroa is distributed between 30° N and 37° S, with the highest species richness between 7° S and 17° S in Peru. Within Peru, the highest concentration of species is found in the department of Cusco. The greatest species diversity is found between 3000-4000 m elevation on both the eastern and western slopes of the Andes. The high diversity of the genus in the Peruvian Andes is likely due to the high environmental heterogeneity and habitat diversity present in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Capsicum (Solanaceae), native to the tropical and temperate Americas, comprises the well-known sweet and hot chili peppers and several wild species. So far, only partial taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses have been done for the genus. Here, the phylogenetic relationships between nearly all taxa of Capsicum were explored to test the monophyly of the genus and to obtain a better knowledge of species relationships, diversification and expansion. Methods Thirty-four of approximately 35 Capsicum species were sampled. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses were performed using two plastid markers (matK and psbA-trnH) and one single-copy nuclear gene (waxy). The evolutionary changes of nine key features were reconstructed following the parsimony ancestral states method. Ancestral areas were reconstructed through a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis. Key Results Capsicum forms a monophyletic clade, with Lycianthes as a sister group, following both phylogenetic approaches. Eleven well-supported clades (four of them monotypic) can be recognized within Capsicum, although some interspecific relationships need further analysis. A few features are useful to characterize different clades (e.g. fruit anatomy, chromosome base number), whereas some others are highly homoplastic (e.g. seed colour). The origin of Capsicum is postulated in an area along the Andes of western to north-western South America. The expansion of the genus has followed a clockwise direction around the Amazon basin, towards central and south-eastern Brazil, then back to western South America, and finally northwards to Central America. Conclusions New insights are provided regarding interspecific relationships, character evolution, and geographical origin and expansion of Capsicum. A clearly distinct early-diverging clade can be distinguished, centred in western-north-western South America. Subsequent rapid speciation has led to the origin of the remaining clades. The diversification of Capsicum has culminated in the origin of the main cultivated species in several regions of South to Central America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystichum Roth is one of the largest and most taxonomically challenging fern genera. South American species have a rich and complex nomenclatural history; many of the early names are inadequately typified. Based on extensive examination of original type material, we designate eleven lectotypes (including Aspidium mohrioides, A. montevidense f. imbricata, A. montevidense f. squamulosa, A. plicatum, A. pycnolepis, Dicksonia andina, Polystichum elegans, P. mohrioides f. latifolia, P. multifidum var. autranii, P. platyphyllum var. kurtziana, and Polypodium polystichoides), and one neotype (P. brongniartianum) for Polystichum taxa. Furthermore, three new synonyms are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]