Three new species of Solanum (Brevantherum Clade) endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract Three new Brazilian species of the Brevantherum clade of Solanum (Solanaceae) are described, all closely related to the poorly known Solanum inornatum Witasek. Solanum bradei Giacomin & Stehmann, sp. nov., and Solanum kriegeri Giacomin & Stehmann, sp. nov., differ from S. inornatum in having very small deltate calyx lobes that are not accrescent in fruit. Solanum bradei is a shrub up to 1.8 m with generally pedunculate inflorescences and tiny translucent fruits, whereas Solanum kriegeri is a dwarf glabrescent plant growing on sandy soils in cloud forests, with larger fruits and sessile to subsessile inflorescence. Solanum friburgense Giacomin & Stehmann, sp. nov., has linear calyx lobes like S. inornatum, and is characterized by its 2-foliate sympodia and leaf pubescence, with trichomes concentrated on leaf veins. The species here described and illustrated are restricted to the mountain ranges of Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar in the Atlantic forests of southeastern Brazil and are all of considerable conservation concern.


Introduction
Th e phytogeographic domain of the Atlantic Forest in South America is a complex of ecosystems and is recognized as one of the most biodiverse regions on earth (Mittermeier et al. 2004). Most of its extent lies in Brazilian territory (up to 95%), but it also reaches Argentina and Paraguay and is estimated to originally comprise an area between 1,300,000 and 1,500,000 square kilometers (about 15% of Brazilian territory; Morellato and Haddad 2000). Th e main urban centers in Brazil are within the Atlantic Forest domain, and their cycles of expansion and occupation have led to critical levels of reduction in these originally forested environments (Dean 1996). It is estimated that only 12 to 16% of the original forest cover remains, mostly in small fragments (Ribeiro et al. 2009). Despite this reduction, discovery of new species in the Atlantic forests is still ongoing and refl ects a still insuffi ciently known diversity. For example, 42% of the newly described angiosperm species for Brazil between 1990-2006 were based on collections from this phytogeographic domain ).
Brazil contains more than a fi fth of the species of Solanaceae, mainly due to the richness found in the Atlantic Forest , Stehmann et al. 2013, making this one of the centers of diversity of the family (Knapp 2002a). More than half of Solanaceae species are members of the giant genus Solanum L., a proportion also observed in the Brazilian fl ora. Th is genus includes globally important crops such as the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Of the 266 species of Solanum listed in Brazil, 68% (181) of them are known to occur in the Atlantic Forest and 46% (124) are restricted to the domain (Stehmann et al. 2013). Ongoing inventories of the Atlantic Forest and work on a preliminary Solanaceae fl ora of the country has revealed many new species and new distributional records for poorly known taxa; here we describe three of these new species.
Th e species here described are all closely related to Solanum inornatum Witasek, a narrowly distributed and poorly known species from São Paulo state. It has not yet been assigned to any formal infrageneric division of Solanum, but was thought in the past to be related to section Gonatotrichum Bitter due to a similar habit and hair morphology (L. A. Mentz, pers. comm.). Recent phylogenetic studies using molecular characters (Giacomin 2010, L.L. Giacomin et al. in prep.) showed the S. inornatum species group (defi ned here as including S. inornatum and the three species described here) is part of the larger Brevantherum Clade (sensu Weese andBohs 2007, Särkinen et al. 2013), one of the 12 to 15 main lineages of Solanum. Th e S. inornatum group is part of a well-supported monophyletic group, together with all other species of the Brevantherum clade, that is sister to a clade formed by members of section Gonatotrichum (Giacomin 2010, L.L. Giacomin et al. in prep.).
Species of the Brevantherum Clade are native to the New World, occurring from southern United States through Argentina, with a center of diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. A few species are widespread and invasive in tropical regions in the Old World (e.g., S. erianthum D. Don, S. mauritianum Scop.). Morphologically, members of the Brevantherum Clade are unarmed herbs to shrubs or small trees with unbranched (section Gonatotrichum and members of S. inornatum species group) to variously branched or stellate trichomes (all other species), and small oblong-ellipsoid poricidal anthers with introrsely opening pores. Th e species of the S. inornatum group are herbs to small shrubs with exclusively unbranched trichomes and are all restricted to southeastern Brazil. Although they share unbranched (and rarely geniculate; see Giacomin 2010, Stern et al. 2013) trichomes with section Gonatotrichum, members of S. inornatum group are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from those species. Th ey can be readily distinguished from the species of section Gonatotrichum in that they lack the characteristic explosive fruit dehiscence (Stern et al. 2013) and have more deeply lobed corollas. All the other species of Brevantherum clade except the S. inornatum group and section Gonatotrichum are shrubs to trees with stellate or lepidote trichomes (Giacomin 2010). A revision of the morphological delimitation of the S. inornatum species group as well as a discussion of its phylogenetic position will be subject of another manuscript that is in preparation (L.L. Giacomin et al. in prep.).

Materials and methods
Material from the following herbaria were studied (acronyms from Index Herbariorum, http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/): BHCB, BM, CESJ, ESA, FUEL, MBM, MBML, R, RB, SP, SPF, SPSF, UEC, UPCB, VIC, W and WU. Cited material is ordered geographically. Barcodes of type specimens, when present, are noted in square brackets after the herbarium citation. Plants obtained in the fi eld were cultivated in a greenhouse in Belo Horizonte and fresh fl owers were fi xed in alcohol to permit detailed descriptions and illustrations. We assessed the conservation status using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2013). For the estimation of the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) we used the CAT tool described in Bachman et al. (2011) and available at http://geocat.kew. org/. For the AOO estimation was used the standard IUCN cell size of 4 km 2 .

Diagnosis.
Diff ers from all other species of the S. inornatum group in its shrub-like, woody habit and long-pedunculate infl orescences (peduncles up to 1 cm). Unlike S.
inornatum Witasek it has deltate, rather than linear-lanceolate, calyx lobes that are not accrescent in fruit.
Description. Herbs to shrubs, woody at base, erect, to 1.8 m tall, usually muchbranched, the upper branches decumbent, fl exuous on young plants. Stems moderate to densely pubescent with simple uniseriate 2-3(4)-celled trichomes up to 2.8 mm long, these appressed, arcuate, or erect along stems, or sometimes geniculate and antrorse. Bark of older stems turning brownish-green, glabrescent, not exfoliating, normally matte brown on new growth. Sympodial units 3-plurifoliate, mostly geminate, when so markedly anisophyllous, diff ering in shape and size, with the smaller leaves highly reduced. Leaves simple, the major ones 2-11.5 × 0.9-3 cm, lanceolate to narrowly-elliptic, chartaceous, slightly discolorous, drying light green beneath, dark green above, not shiny, moderate to densely pubescent in both surfaces with unbranched antrorse, appressed, or erect hairs, with up to 3 cells; base attenuate to rounded, sometimes slightly asymmetric, not decurrent onto the petiole; margins entire, sometimes slightly revolute, ciliate, with the trichomes lying antrorsely parallel to the margin; apex acute to acuminate; petioles 2-13 mm long, with pubescence similar to the stems; minor ones 0.35-2.6 × 0.2-1.3 cm, broadly elliptic to circular; the base obtuse to rounded, margins like those of the major leaves; the apex rounded to acute, the petioles absent to 3 mm; venation brochidodromous; midrib and secondary veins visible to the naked eye, prominent abaxially, with only the midrib slightly prominent to impressed adaxially. Infl orescences pedunculate, terminal, lateral or sub-opposite the leaves, unbranched cymes with 3-7 fl owers, the axis with pubescence like that of the stems; peduncle 2.2-10 mm long; pedicels 2-8 mm in the fl ower, 6-14 mm in fruit, articulated at base, spaced up to 8 mm apart. Calyx up to 3 mm long, the lobes 1-2 mm long in fl ower and fruit, about 1 mm wide, the lobes ovate-deltate, with an acuminate apex, abaxially moderately to densely pubescent with antrorse trichomes like those of the stem abaxially, adaxially densely pubescent with capitate glandular trichomes less than 1 mm long, with single-celled stalks and a multicellular head; calyx not accrescent in fruit. Corolla 6-10 mm in diameter, white, stellate, membranaceous, the lobes 3-5 × 2-3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous abaxially and adaxially. Stamens 2-3 mm long, equal in length, the fi laments ca. 1 mm long; anthers 1-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, oblong-ellipsoid, slightly connivent, yellow, the base cordate, the apex emarginate and poricidal, the subapical pores directed introrsely, not opening into longitudinal slits. Ovary glabrous; style white, 4-6 mm long, exserted beyond stamens, straight, cylindrical, glabrous, the stigma light green, capitate. Fruit a globose berry 4-7.8 mm in diameter, slightly translucent green to dull green when ripe, drying dark, glabrous. Seeds 2-4 per berry, 2-4.5 × 2-3.3 mm, fl attened, ovate-reniform, with a small hollow at hilum region; the seed surface undulate; margins fl attened.

Distribution.
Restricted to the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Fig. 3). Th e known specimens are mainly from the Mantiqueira mountain range in the border area between those states, with one disjunct collection from Serra do Mar, in the Bocaina region of northeastern São Paulo State.
Ecology. Occasional in the understory or shaded forest edges of well-preserved or secondary fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic coastal rainforest (Floresta Ombrófi la Densa of Veloso et al. 1991), normally close to water courses, in elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 m. In cultivation in Belo Horizonte, S. bradei fl owered year round. Preliminary crossing studies suggested it was self-incompatible as no fruits were produced in selfed plants, but more individuals should be used for a defi nitive conclusion.
Phenology. Solanum bradei seems to produce fl owers year round but a fl owering peak is observed in the rainy season, as most of the collections are from between the months of October and March. None of the examined collections are from December or January. Most of the specimens fl owering in October and November and fruiting from February through May. Th e only well developed fruit was found in a collection from May.
Etymology. Th e epithet honors the German botanist Alexander C. Brade  who greatly contributed to the growth of botany in Brazil in the middle 1900s. His eff orts to better understand the fl ora of Itatiaia led to the earliest known collections of S. bradei.
Preliminary conservation status (IUCN, 2013). Endangered (EN) B1; B2 ab (ii,iii,iv). Th e EOO and AOO calculated were 4,076.04 km 2 and 48 km 2 respectively resulting in the assessment of the Endangered category. Th e species is known from eight localities only, most of which are subject to urban expansion and deforestation due to tourism and agriculture. Although the species is known to occur in three protected areas [Área de Preservação Ambiental Serra da Mantiqueira (APA Mantiqueira), Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão and Parque Nacional de Itatiaia] we suggest to maintain it as Endangered due to: the eff ectiveness of APAs in protecting the species is doubtful, the Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão have considerable areas with exotic species, and both it and Parque Nacional do Itatiaia have considerable areas with habitats not suitable to S. bradei (such as outcrops and highland grassfi elds). Although S. bradei is known to grow on secondary fragments and in a wide elevation range, threats to it are clear, considering that the southern Mantiqueira range, where most collections are from, is situated between the two main urban centers in Brazil and has become a tourism hub. In addition, over the past few decades the montane forests and the highland fi elds of Mantiqueira have been increasingly converted to pastures, monocultures or urban centers.
Discussion. Solanum bradei is the most widely distributed and morphologically variable species of the Solanum inornatum species group. It is the only species of the group not necessarily associated with well-preserved sites, although always found in shaded environments, and is also the one that has the broadest elevational range. Despite the usual shrubby, robust habit of the species, specimens as small as 20-25 cm tall were found fl owering, these mainly from the municipalities of Camanducaia and Gonçalves, in southern Minas Gerais State. Th e species has distinctive geminate sympodia, with leaves diff ering in shape and size to a degree not observed in any other species of the group. Although this character was observed in all specimens in the fi eld, some branches preserved on herbarium sheets do not retain well-developed minor leaves.
Due to this, anisophylly was not used as a diagnostic character to separate the species, but it is certainly a useful character in the fi eld.
Some plants seem to develop diseased fl owers, possibly the result of fungal or viral infection, as has been previously reported in other species of Solanum (see Hernández and Hennen 2003). In these cases an unusual form of calyx growth is observed where the expanded calyx covers the entire fl ower, making it resemble a fruit. Th is has resulted in misleading annotations on some labels [e.g. Polisel et al. 228 (SPSF) has "Fruto imaturo verde" written on the label but the specimen is actually fl owering]. When dissected, the diseased fl owers show an opened and lobed corolla, retained in the expanded calyx, and purplish blue anthers (in dried material) that produce less pollen than normal. Th ese putatively infertile fl owers are more common in young plants from disturbed areas.
Solanum bradei can be easily distinguished from S. inornatum by its tiny deltate calyx lobes (1-2 mm long) that are not accrescent in fruit and its long-pedunculate infl orescence (peduncles up to 1 cm). Solanum inornatum has linear, 3-5 mm long calyx lobes and infl orescences with peduncles 1-4 mm long. Th e characters that separate it from the other species described in this paper are discussed further below, on each species discussion.
In the past, sheets of S. bradei have been determined as S. apiahyense Witasek by various Solanum taxonomists, another poorly known species of uncertain affi nities from secondary formations in São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina states. More recently, S. apiahyense was found to be closely related to S. trachytrichium Bitter, a species previously assigned to the Geminata clade (Knapp 2002b, L.L. Giacomin in prep.). Among species that could be confused with members of S. inornatum group and that are not considered part of the Brevantherum clade, these two (S. apiahyense and S. trachytrichium) are the only ones that we judge should be mentioned here. Th ey can be distinguished from all species of the S. inornatum group by having infl orescences with fruiting peduncle longer than 1 cm and pedicels apically expanded with a constriction at the receptacle. Th e pubescence of the species are also distinctive: while S. apiahyense has very long, multicellular (up to 7 cells) unbranched trichomes, S. trachytrichium has unicellular trichomes that are hooked on a mound-like base, giving the leaves an scabrous aspect, rough to the touch (Knapp 2002b).   Description. Herbs to shrubs, woody at base, few-branched, rhizomatous, up to 50 cm high, the branches on new growth ascending, becoming prostrate. Stems densely hispid-pubescent with uniseriate simple upright, spreading trichomes ca. 2.6 mm long, with up to 3 cells. Bark of older stems becoming light brown, glabrescent; new growth greenish brown, shiny. Sympodial units 2-foliate, not geminate. Leaves simple, solitary, the blades 3-11 × 1-5 cm, elliptic, chartaceous, slightly discolorous, drying darker above, not shiny, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces with simple trichomes like those of the stems, the trichomes denser along the veins (of any order); base attenuate, slightly decurrent onto the petiole; margins entire, ciliate, with spreading trichomes like those of the blade; apex acute to acuminate; petioles 6-12 mm long, with as pubescence like that of the stems; venation brochidodromous; midrib and secondary veins visible to the naked eye, prominent on both surfaces. Infl orescences sessile, lateral, unbranched cymes of 1-4 fl owers; pedicels 4-12 mm long in fl ower, unknown in fruit, nearly contiguous. Calyx 3-5 mm long, deeply lobed, the tube ca. 1 mm long, the lobes 3-4 mm long, ca. 1mm wide, linear-lanceolate, densely pubescent abaxially with trichomes like those of the stem, glabrous adaxially, strongly recurved at anthesis. Corolla 1.4-1.8 cm in diameter, white, stellate, membranaceous, the lobes 5-7 × 2-3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, sparsely pubescent abaxially mainly along the midrib with trichomes like those of the calyx but shorter, up to 1.5 mm long, glabrous adaxially. Stamens 3-5 mm long, equal in length, the fi laments ca. 1 mm long; anthers 2-4 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, oblong, slightly connivent, yellow, the base cordate, the apex emarginate and poricidal, the subapical pores directed introrsely, not opening into longitudinal slits. Ovary glabrous; style white, 4-5 mm long, straight, cylindrical, the stigma light green, capitate. Fruit unknown.
Distribution. Narrowly endemic, known from only two localities in the municipality of Nova Friburgo in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Fig. 3). Both localities are within conservation units, one public (Reserva Ecológica de Macaé de Cima) and one private (RPPN Bacchus).
Ecology. Rare in the understory of well-preserved fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic coastal rainforest, at elevations of about 1,500 m. Th e species always shows a well-developed rhizome system. Th is suggests the plant invests heavily in vegetative propagation, which is consistent with the few fl owering specimens found in the fi eld. In cultivation, so few fl owers were produced that no crossing studies were performed.
Phenology. Th e fl owering material studied was collected in October and November but one of these is from cultivation. Th e fruits are unknown.
Etymology. Th e species is named after the municipality where all known collections are from, Nova Friburgo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Preliminary conservation status (IUCN, 2013). Critically Endangered (CR) B1; B2 ab (iii, iv). Solanum friburgense is known from two localities closely situated to each other within the same municipality, that represents an AOO of 8 km 2 . Th e type specimen was collected in 1990 and despite an intensive inventory that was recently carried out in the area (Lima and Guedes-Bruni 1997), no additional collections were made until 2009. Although the EOO could not be calculated because only two points are available, if the species is actually endemic to Nova Friburgo and surroundings it would probably fi t the Critically Endangered category (less than 100 km 2 ). Even considering the occurrence within two conservation units and the paucity of material available for analysis, we provisionally suggest it to be assessed as Critically Endangered, regarding it seems to have a reproductive system based on vegetative propagation (see Discussion below). Within RPPN Bacchus two large populations are known (about 50 individuals), but no fl owering specimens were observed in the fi eld over three consecutive years (2009, 2010 and 2011).
Discussion. Solanum friburgense is the only species of the S. inornatum group that has 2-foliate non-geminate sympodial units. It shares the linear-lanceolate calyx lobes with S. inornatum but can be distinguished from it by having the calyx lobes strongly recurved at anthesis, and the leaf pubescence concentrated along the veins and only sparsely present on the mesophyll of the leaf lamina, while S. inornatum has straight to slightly curved calyx lobes and trichomes evenly distributed on veins and mesophyll. Th e leaf shape is also a good character to separate the species: S. friburgense has elliptic leaves with attenuate bases and cuspidate apices and S. inornatum ovate leaves with rounded bases and attenuate apices. Solanum friburgense can be readily distinguished from S. bradei in its conspicuous linear-lanceolate calyx lobes versus tiny deltate calyx lobes of the former.
As for all species of the S. inornatum group, S. friburgense has very discrete and almost hidden infl orescences, that are covered by the leaves if seen from above. Th is cryptic fl owering could be the reason why the oldest known collection of the species is very recent, from the 1990s.
Th e species has an intriguing reproductive system, apparently based mainly on vegetative propagation. Although two large populations were found at RPPN Bacchus, no fl owering specimens were seen in three consecutive years of fi eld work encompassing almost three months of the rainy season, when the two only fl owering specimens were collected. No fruit was seen in the fi eld or produced in cultivation, and we believe that the few known specimens are the result of a very restricted distribution and not a lack of collecting eff ort. Solanum friburgense inhabits the understory of primary cloud forest fragments, which are not uncommon in the mountain ranges surrounding Nova Friburgo, suggesting that its restricted distribution is due to its vegetative reproductive strategy and not habitat specifi city. Future eff orts should be made to locate this species at nearby reserves in Rio de Janeiro state such as Parque Estadual dos Três Picos, in Nova Friburgo and Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgãos, in Teresópolis, in order to search for additional populations. Diagnosis. Diff ers from S. bradei Giacomin & Stehmann in its small shrub-like habit, its shiny leaves with extremely sparse pubescence, its sessile to subsessile infl orescences sometimes with a very short peduncle of up to 2 mm, and by its larger opaque fruit with more numerous seeds. Also diff ers from S. inornatum Witasek by having deltate, up to 2 mm calyx lobes.
Type Description. Herbs to small shrubs up to 50 cm tall, woody at base, often with a single stem or few branches, these primarily erect, ascending, becoming arched and pendant. Stems sparsely to moderately pubescent with simple uniseriate trichomes up to 1 mm long, with 2-3 cells, normally curved and antrorse, rarely spreading, sometimes geniculate. Bark of older stems becoming whitish, exfoliating, almost completely glabrous, that of new growth greenish brown. Sympodial units plurifoliate, normally not geminate, but if so, with leaves diff ering in size and shape. Leaves simple, 1.5-7 × 0.5-2 cm, narrowly elliptic, chartaceous to slightly coriaceous, concolorous, drying notably shiny on both surfaces, glabrous to glabrescent on both surfaces with sparse simple trichomes up to 0.6 mm long, with up to 2 cells, these most common along the midrib; base attenuate, not decurrent onto petiole; margins entire, sparsely ciliate, with trichomes like those of the leaf veins, lying antrorsely parallel to the margin; apex acute; petioles 2-5 mm long, with pubescence similar to the stems; minor leaves, if present, 0.4-1.2 × 0.3-0.6 cm, elliptic-ovate to circular, the base rounded to obtuse, the apex rounded to acuminate, the petioles absent to 2 mm long; venation brochidodromous; midribs and secondary veins visible to the naked eye, the midrib prominent on both blade surfaces, the secondary veins prominent abaxially and impressed adaxially. Infl orescences sessile to subsessile, lateral or subopposite the leaves, unbranched cymes with 1-6 fl owers, the axis with the same pubescence as that of the stems; peduncle 1-2 mm long; rachis normally absent or rarely up to 6 mm long; pedicels 4-6 mm long in fl ower, 6-12 mm in fruit, articulated at the base, spaced up to 2 mm apart. Calyx to 5 mm long, the lobes 1-2 mm long in fl ower, up to 4 mm long in fruit, ca. 1 mm wide, deltate, glabrous to glabrescent abaxially, with trichomes if present like those of the stems, adaxially densely pubescent with capitate glandular trichomes less than 1 mm long, with single-celled stalks and a multicellular head; calyx not accrescent in fruit. Corolla 6-10 mm in diameter, white, stellate, membranaceous, the lobes 3-5 × 2-3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous on both surfaces. Stamens 2-3 mm long, equal in length, the fi laments ca. 1mm long; anthers 1-2 mm long, ca. 1mm wide, oblong, slightly connivent, yellow, the base rounded, the apex emarginate and poricidal, the subapical pores directed introrsely, not opening into longitudinal slits. Ovary glabrous; style white, 3-5 mm long, straight, cylindrical, the stigma light yellow to greenish, capitate. Fruit a globose berry 6-12 mm in diameter, dull green when ripe, drying dark, glabrous. Seeds 6-12 per fruit, 3-5 × 2-3 mm, slightly swollen, reniform, with a small hollow at hilum region; the seed surface undulate, the margins fl attened.
Distribution. Endemic to Brazil in southern Minas Gerais state, close to the border with Rio de Janeiro State, where it is known from two adjacent mountain ranges within the Mantiqueira region, Serra do Ibitipoca and Serra Negra (Fig. 3). All known collections are from two conservation units, APA Serra da Mantiqueira and Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca.
Ecology. Occasional to rare in the understory of well preserved dwarf cloud forests (Floresta Ombrófi la Densa Altomontana; Veloso et al. 1991) and normally associated with sandy soils or quartzite outcrops, in elevations of about 1,500 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Although few fl owers were produced in cultivation, crossing studies suggested this species is self-incompatible, like S. bradei.
Phenology. Fertile specimens were collected between September and March. A fl owering peak was observed between November and January and fully developed fruits were observed in January and March.
Etymology. Th e epithet honors the Father Leopoldo Krieger, a Brazilian naturalist and founder of the CESJ herbarium (Juiz de Fora, Brazil), one of the most important collections in Minas Gerais state. In 1969, Dr. Krieger was hired as a Professor at Univer- sidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, when he started collecting in the surrounding areas. His eff orts at Serra do Ibitipoca led to the fi rst collections of S. kriegeri. In herbarium sheets and in most databases, is common to fi nd Krieger's collections wrongly cited as "P.L. Krieger"; the "P" corresponds to the Portuguese word for Father (Padre) and not to a forename. Nevertheless we decided here to maintain the orthography used on individual labels in the cited material, noting with square brackets the common misuse of the "P.".
Preliminary conservation status (IUCN, 2013). Endangered (EN) B2 ab (iii, iv). Th e species is known from two localities that are about 30 km away from each other with six points available. Th e calculated EOO was of 34.3 km 2 what would led to the Critically Endangered category while the AOO of 20 km 2 led to Endangered. We have chosen here to assign it to Endangered, a less severe category for three reasons: the species occurs in more than one location, it is known from within a eff ectively protected area (Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca), and the other location where it is found is somewhat remote. Nevertheless, Solanum kriegeri is from a very specifi c habitat in well-preserved forest fragments and monitoring its populations is strongly recommended. In light of the deforestation pressure surrounding the areas where it is found, we surmise that it might be restricted to its few known localities.
Discussion. Solanum kriegeri is most similar to S. bradei; both have small, deltate calyx lobes (1-2 mm long). It is, however, a much smaller plant than S. bradei with glabrous or glabrescent leaves, with sparse trichomes normally restricted to the midrib and a sessile to subsessile infl orescence. Solanum kriegeri occasionally has geminate leaves, but not as frequently as in S. bradei and, when present, the minor leaves are very reduced and look like stipules. Th e fruits of S. kriegeri are also distinctive; they are larger than those of S. bradei (6-12 versus 4-7.8 mm) due to the seed size and number (6-12 versus 2-4 seeds per fruit respectively). Another good fi eld character is the fruit aspect at maturity: dull green in S. kriegeri and shiny, and translucent (watery) in S. bradei. Besides the calyx morphology S. kriegeri can be readily distinguished from S. inornatum and S. friburgense by the glabrescent indument of its shiny chartaceous leaves, the only species of the group that presents such feature.
Solanum kriegeri inhabits a very specifi c vegetation type and was thought to be endemic to Serra do Ibitipoca until recently when it was found in a neighboring mountain range. It is associated with dwarf cloud forests that grow as islands in highland grassy areas on sandy soils, normally within quartzite matrices. Th ese formations are normally not as shaded as the habitats in which other species of the group are found, and although the soil is more well-drained, the atmospheric humidity is quite similar. It is common to fi nd S. kriegeri growing in Sphagnum L. (Sphagnaceae) mats in these environments.