Solanum quitoense Lam.
EOL Text
Cultivated between 1000 and 2400 m in mountains of Colombia and Ecuador; recently introduced and becoming a successful weed in montane regions of Costa Rica and Panama.
Commentary taken from Whalen et al. (1981): Solanum quitoense is cultivated for its edible fruit in highlands of Colombia and Ecuador. It is used predominantly for juice and in preparation of refrescos with sugar and ice. The lulo is one of the most delightful of tropical American fruits, with a flavor reminiscent of citrus, and is rich in Vitamin A and ascorbic acid (Romero-Castañeda, 1961). Cultivation of S. quitoense is restricted by climatic requirements and susceptibility to root-knot nematode infection (Munier, 1962). It is most commonly grown in small plantings on newly cleared land.Wild occurrences of S. quitoense in Colombia and Ecuador are generally attributed to escape from cultivation. Volunteer plants are seen in disturbances and around habitations in regions where the species is cultivated. For reasons we do not understand, S. quitoense has been most successful as a weed in Costa Rica and Panama, where it was introduced into cultivation in this century. A few collections from montane forests in Colombia may represent native populations (Cuatrecasas et al. 12111 from Norte de Santander and Cuatrecasas 15031 and 22694 from the Cordillera Occidental in Valle). The regions in which these plants were found should be explored more fully as potentially important sources of germ plasm.Heiser (1969) speculates that S. quitoense was domesticated in highlands of central Colombia and transported by man to Ecuador and Peru. The basis for the argument is the existence of prickly forms and close relatives in the former region. The opposite direction of introduction, into Colombia from Ecuador, is postulated by Patiño (1962) and Schultes and Romero-Casteñeda (1962). Morphological data from Colombian and Ecuadorean plants point to a relative lack of variability in Ecuadorean S. quitoense. The pattern observed may be due to founder effect associated with human dispersal of S. quitoense southward in the Andes from a region of initial domestication in central Colombia as proposed by Heiser.Heiser (1972) pointed out the close relationship of S. quitoense to S. candidum, a wide ranging species extending from Mexico to Peru. The morphological similarity between these taxa is great, and the differences between them are primarily in characters that would likely have been influenced by human selection during the process of domestication. In particular, S. quitoense is unarmed or only sparsely prickly and has larger fruits with more readily deciduous hairs than S. candidum. An additional difference is the green flesh of S. quitoense fruits, an attribute of that species not found in any other members of section Lasiocarpa.
Solanum quitoense belongs to the Leptostemonum clade of Solanum (Bohs, 2005). Within Leptostemonum, it belongs to the Lasiocarpa clade, a monophyletic group that includes most of the species traditionally recognized in Solanum section Lasiocarpa Dunal (Whalen et al., 1981; the S. quitoense species group of Whalen, 1984; Levin et al., 2006). Within this clade, chloroplast sequences from the trnT-F region indicate that S. quitoense belongs to a clade that also includes S. candidum, S. hyporhodium, S. lasiocarpum, S. felinum, S. pseudolulo, S. repandum, and S. vestissimum (Bohs, 2004). Resolution is poor to non-existent among the species of this latter clade.
- Bohs, L.. A chloroplast DNA phylogeny of Solanum section Lasiocarpa (Solanaceae). Syst. Bot. 29: 177-187.
- Bohs, L.. Major clades in Solanum based on ndhF sequences. Pp. 27-49 in R. C. Keating, V. C. Hollowell, & T. B. Croat (eds.), A festschrift for William G. D’Arcy: the legacy of a taxonomist. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 104. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
- Heiser, C.B., Jr.. Nightshades, the paradoxical plants. Freeman, San Francisco.
- Heiser, C.B., Jr.. Ethnobotany of the naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) and its relatives. Econ. Bot. 39: 4-11.
- Heiser, C., J. Soria, C. Miller, & G. Anderson. A new synthetic allopolyploid naranjilla, Solanum indianense (Solanaceae). Novon 15: 290-292.
- Levin, R.A., N.R. Myers, & L. Bohs. Phylogenetic relationships among the "spiny" solanums (Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum). Amer. J. Bot. 93: 157-169.
- Munier, R.. La Culture du lulo en Colombia. Fruits 17: 91-92.
- Patiño, V.M.. Edible fruits of Solanum in South American historic and geographic references. Botanical Museum Leaflets 19: 215-234.
- Romero-Castañeda, R.. El lulo: una fruta de importancia economica. Agricultura Tropical 17: 214-218.
- Schultes, R.E., & R. Romero-Castañeda. Edible fruits of Solanum in Colombia. Botanical Museum Leaflets 19: 235-286.
- Whalen, M.D.. Conspectus of species groups in Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum. Gentes Herbarum 12 (4): 179-282.
- Whalen, M.D., D.E. Costich & C.B. Heiser, Jr.. Taxonomy of Solanum section Lasiocarpa. Gentes Herb. 12: 41-129.
Localidad del tipo: Perú.
Depositario del tipo: P
Recolector del tipo: Ruiz & Pavon s.n., 1778-88
Bosque húmedo de premontano y montano bajo, en áreas alteradas.
nuclear ITS sequence: GenBank AY263460 (Jardín Botanico de Bogotá, Colombia, Olmstead, no voucher) nuclear waxy (GBSSI) sequence: GenBank AY562965 (voucher: Bohs 2873, UT) chloroplast trnS-G sequence: GenBank AY555471 (voucher: Bohs 2873, UT) chloroplast trnT-F sequence: GenBank AY266243 (voucher: Heiser s.n.; Bohs DNA extract 996; plant from Quito, Ecuador, market) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/viewer.fcgi?db=nucleotide&val=33355744 chloroplast trnT-F sequence: GenBank AY266228 (voucher: Bohs 2873, UT) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/viewer.fcgi?db=nucleotide&val=33355729
Sus frutos se usan para bebidas.
Common names: Colombia; lulo, naranjilla. Ecuador: naranjilla. Uses: One of the most esteemed fruit crops in Andean South America; the raw fruits are sweetened to make a delicious juice. The tart yet sweet flavor is very refreshing, and many travelers look forward to partaking of “jugo de lulo.” However, nowadays (in 2005) it is rare, at least in highland Ecuador, to be offered unadulterated lulo juice. Solanum quitoense is susceptible to attack by nematodes and other pests, limiting its cultivation. In recent years its has been hybridized with various species, especially with S. sessiliflorum, with the result that most “lulo” grown and served in Ecuador comes from this hybrid (Heiser et al., 2005). The hybrid can be distinguished from the true lulo by the color of its fruit pulp: pure Solanum quitoense has bright green fruit pulp, whereas the hybrids most often have yellowish or, at most, light greenish fruit pulp.
Solanum quitoense, known as naranjilla (Spanish pronunciation: [naɾaŋˈxiʎa], "little orange") in Ecuador and Panama and as lulo ([ˈlulo], from Quechua) in Colombia, is a subtropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. The specific name for this species of nightshade means "from Quito."[3]
The naranjilla plant is attractive, with large elongated heart- or oval-shaped leaves up to 45 cm in length. The leaves and stems of the plant are covered in short purple hairs. Naranjilla are delicate plants and must be protected from strong winds and direct sunlight. They grow best in partial shade.
The fruit has a citrus flavour, sometimes described as a combination of rhubarb and lime. The juice of the naranjilla is green and is often used as a drink.
Classification[edit]
Within the genus Solanum, S. quitoense is a part of the subgenus Leptostemonum. Within this clade, S. quitoense belongs to the section Lasiocarpa. Other species within Lasiocarpa include: S. candidum, S. hyporhodium, S. lasiocarpum, S. felinum, S. psudolulo, S. repandum and S. vestissimum.[1]
Other plants bear morphological similarity to S. quitoense, but they may or may not be closely related. Some of these plants are: S. hirtum, S. myiacanthum, S. pectinatum, S. sessiliflorum and, S. verrogeneum. Many of these plants, related or not, can be confused with S. quitoense. Furthermore, Solanum quitoense's physical traits vary from plant to plant, making identification challenging: at least three varietals (with spines, without spines, or a third variety known as baquicha, which features red-ripening fruits and smooth leaves) are known to occur. One characteristic that is unique to S. quitoense is the ring of green flesh within the ripe fruit.[1] The only related fruit to have green flesh is a cultivated variant of S. lasiocarpum.
The new growth of this plant is densely covered in protective trichomes. Coloration in the plant's trichomes around the new growth and flowers varies from purple to white. Identification can be difficult for this reason.
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New leaf.
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Bud.
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Bud and baby leaf.
Agriculture[edit]
The naranjilla has been proposed as a new flavoring for the global food industry,[4] but it fares poorly in large-scale cultivation, presenting an obstacle to its wider use.[1] Its fruit, like tomatoes, is easily damaged when ripe, so is usually harvested unripe.[4] The fruits are found at markets. It is common for locals to make beverages by adding sugar and water to the freshly squeezed fruits.[4]
Pests & diseases[edit]
S. quitoense has limited potential in agriculture due to the plant's extreme vulnerability to pests and diseases when grown as a crop. One common type of infection is caused by the root-knot nematode. The ripe fruit is very delicate, and is frequently attacked by fungus, especially when mechanically damaged, so it is often picked unripe to avoid rotting.[4]
Hybrids are an increasingly popular solution to the nematode pest problem. S. quitoense has been hybridized with other plants, most commonly with S. sessiliflorum, a plant with similar phenotypic traits. The leaves, flowers and fruits of S. sessiliflorum are similar in form to S. quitoense, but has much larger fruits that are yellow; the resulting hybrids have fruits with yellowish fruit pulp.[1]
Nutrition[edit]
Contents of the fruit varies from region to region. These statistics are based on Costa Rican fruit:[4]
| fruit nutrients | percent contained in fruit |
|---|---|
| Water | 90% |
| Protein | 1% |
| Fat | less than .0001% |
| Carbohydrates | 3.8% |
| Fiber | 1.4% |
| Sugar | 3% |
| Calories | (kcal/100g) 18 |
| Vitamin C | 2.6% |
These statistics are based on fruits found in Colombia and Ecuador:[5]
| Fruit nutrients | mg per 100g of nutrients. |
|---|---|
| Calcium | 5.9-12.4 mg |
| Phosphorus | 12.0-43.7 mg |
| Iron | 0.34-0.64 mg |
| Carotene | 0.071-0.0232 mg |
| Thiamine | 0.04-0.094 |
| Riboflavin | 0.03-0.047 |
| Niacin | 1.19-1.76 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Solanaceae Source (2005): Solanum quitoense. Version of December 2005. Retrieved 2008-SEP-25.
- ^ Tropicos
- ^ Lamarck, Jean Baptiste Antoine Pierre de Monnet de. Tableau Encyclopédique et Methodique ... Botanique 2: 16. 1794.
- ^ a b c d e Óscar Acosta, Ana M. Pérez, Fabrice Vaillant (2009) Chemical characterization, antioxidant properties, and volatile constituents of naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) cultivated in Costa Rica. Archivos Latinoamericana de Nutrición 59(1): 88-94
- ^ Naranjilla
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