''Malesherbia solanoides'' is a subshrub native to the

Atacama The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the w ...

region of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It was initially described in 1833 by Reise Erde.

Varieties

There are currently four accepted varieties of ''M. solanoides'', var. ''oblongifolia'' ((Phil.) Bull-Hereñu), var. ''ovata'' ((Phil.) Bull-Hereñu), var. ''rugosa'' ((Gay) Bull-Hereñu), and var. ''solanoides''.

Variety ''oblongifolia''

Variety ''oblongifolia'' is found in the Paipote and San Andrés Ravines at altitudes above 1000 m. It has white flowers similar to those of var. ''ovata,'' it differs from var. ''ovata'' in its oblong hairless leaves and locality.Bull-Hereñu, K. 2020. The genus ''Malesherbia'' Ruiz & Pav. (Passifloraceae) in Chile. ''Phytotaxa'' 468 (1): 1-44 Its white flowers differentiate it from var. ''rugosa'' and var. ''solanoides,'' both of white have blue flowers. Var. ''oblongifolia'' has previously been classified as ''Malesherbia oblongifolia'' Phil., ''Malesherbia brevipedunculata'' Werderm., and ''Malesherbia foliosa'' Phil..

Variety ''ovata''

Variety ''ovata'' is found in the deserts between Quebrada Encantada and Llano de Varas at altitudes of 1000 - 3000 m. It differs from var. ''solanoides'' and var. ''rugusa'' as it has white flowers; it differs from ''oblongifolia'' as it has yellow dense matted hairs on its vegetative tissues. Var. ''ovata'' has previously been classified as ''Malesherbia ovata'' Phil., ''Malesherbia johnstonii'' Werderm., ''Malesherbia prolifera'' Phil., and ''Malesherbia rugosa'' var. ''pseudopulverulenta'' Ricardi.

Variety ''rugosa''

Var. ''rugosa'' is only found in the

Copiapó Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km north ...

river valley in the Atacama region of Chile''.'' Phenotypically, it's extremely similar to var. ''solanoides'', only differing in its relatively rough oily leaves and smaller floral cup. The flowers of var. ''rugosa'' are typically light blue with large petals. In addition to these slight phenotypic differences, the varieties differ in range; var. ''rugosa'' is only found at altitudes of 1000 - 3000 m, while var. ''solanoides'' is found at lower altitudes (500 - 1200 m). Var. ''rugosa'' has previously been classified as ''Gynopleura rugosa'' (Gay) Ball, ''Malesherbia rugosa'' Gay, ''Malesherbia glandulifera'' Werderm, and ''Malesherbia serrata'' Phil.

Variety ''solanoides''

Var. ''solanoides'' is only found near the Copiapó river. It is found at altitudes of 500 - 1200 m. It grows up to 80cm tall and has light blue to violet flowers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q111273766 solanoides Plants described in 1833 Flora of Chile