GEOGRAPHY OF SOLANACEAE IN BOLIVIA

Bolivia, with an area approximately that of California plus Texas, has about 306 species in the family Solanaceae; 131 of these species are found in 34 genera while an additional 175 species are in the genus Solanum. None of the genera (other than the monotypic Protoschwenkia) are centered in Bolivia. Some, such as Witheringia (one sp.), Jaltomata (three spp.), Juanulloa (two spp.) and Cuatresia (one sp.) reach their southern limit in Bolivia and have much greater diversity to the north in Peru through Central America. Jaborosa (three spp.), Fabiana (five spp.), and Lycium (eight spp.) are more diverse in Argentina to the south. Schwenckia (two spp.), Aureliana (one sp.) and Petunia (three spp.) are more diverse in central, eastern, and southeastern Brazil, respectively. Capsicum (13 spp.) and Nicotiana (14 spp.) have major centers of diversity in Bolivia. Subdivisions of the genus Solanum may show any of these patterns. Nearly all but the highest or driest and most saline habitats in Bolivia support Solanaceae, but the family is seldom a major part of the vegetation except sometimes in disturbed habitats. The humid forests of the eastern Andes are the richest in Solanaceae in terms of genera, species and biomass, followed by the seasonally dry forests of the southern Andes. The lowland evergreen forests are moderately diverse in Solanum, but the dry chaco plains and cerrado vegetation of the Precambrian shield have only modest numbers of Solanaceae. Local endemism is greatest in the very dissected humid eastern Andean forests. About 80 Solanaceae species are endemic to Bolivia, most notably the 17 species in Solanum sect. Petota subsect. Potatoe, the wild potatoes.