Iochroma
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Read about Iochroma in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Iochroma (Greek, violet-colored). Solanaceae. Flowering shrubs cultivated outdoors in California and under glass in Europe. In the wild, shrubs or small trees; spineless, glabrous or mostly stellate-tomentose: lvs. entire, often large: fls. purple, blue, scarlet, yellow or white, in clusters or on twin pedicels; corolla long-tubular or narrow- trumpet-shaped, with 5 short or very small lobes, the throat more or less closed by appendages or folds; stamens inserted in the tube, included or exserted; disk present or absent; ovary 2-celled: fr. a pulpy berry.—Species about 20, mostly in W. Trop. S. Amer.
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Iochroma is a genus of about 20 species of shrubs and small trees found in the forests of Central and South America. Their flowers are tubular or trumpet-shaped, and may be blue, purple, red, yellow, or white, becoming pulpy berries. The leaves are alternate, simple, and entire.
Iochromas are believed to contain high levels of tropane alkaloids, and are used by shamans of some Indian tribes for their hallucinogenic effects.
Iochromas come in many colors, including blue, red, lavender, pink and variations of these colors. They are grown for their ornamental value by nurseries in Florida and California. Iochromas make great patio trees (topiary), most commonly trained as standards. Standards are shrubs trained into a single-trunked tree shape. Standards have the advantages of a small tree, such as shade and beauty, but do not grow too large. Iochroma flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds, who feed on the nectar. The Iochroma flower nectar apparently does not have a toxic effect on hummingbirds.
Iochromas are related to the plants Datura and Brugmansia. All of these plants have high levels of tropane alkaloids being studied for possible future medicinal uses, including potential as arthritis medication. Motion-sickness pill and patch medications (Dramamine, Scopolamine) are derivitives of Brugmansias. Iochromas have over 150 different tropane alkaloids contained in their white, milky sap.
The family Solanaceae is further divided into subfamilies, tribes and subtribes. Iochroma is in the subtribe Iochrominae along with the genera Acnistus, Dunalia, Eriolarynx, Saracha, and Vassobia.
Species
The genus Iochroma is not completely known. Several of the species listed here are known to have resulted from hybridisation in the wild and there is extensive synonymy which is not recorded here. Recent research indicates that some of the species listed here are not Iochroma (see notes) although changes in nomenclature have not formally been published. There are also known to be undescribed species.
The genus is currently divided into 3 sections.
Section Iochroma
- Iochroma albianthum S. Leiva
- Iochroma australe Grisebach (see notes)
- Iochroma ayabacense S. Leiva
- Iochroma calycinum Bentham
- Iochroma confertiflorum (Miers) Hunziker
- Iochroma cornifolium Miers
- Iochroma cyaneum (Lindley) M. L. Green
- Iochroma edule S. Leiva
- Iochroma fuchsioides Miers
- Iochroma gesnerioides (Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth) Miers
- Iochroma grandiflorum Bentham
- Iochroma loxense Miers
- Iochroma nitidum S. Leiva & Quipuscoa
- Iochroma peruvianum (Dunal) J. F. Macbride
- Iochroma sagasteguii sp. nov. ined.
- Iochroma salpoanum S. Leiva & P. Lezama
- Iochroma schjellerupii S. Leiva & Quipuscoa
- Iochroma squamosum S. Leiva & Quipuscoa
- Iochroma stenanthum S. Leiva, Quipuscoa & Sawyer
- Iochroma tingoense sp. nov. ined.
- Iochroma tupayachianum S.Leiva
- Iochroma umbellatum (Ruiz & Pavon) D'Arcy
Section Lehmannia
- Iochroma ellipticum (Hook.f.) Hunziker
- Iochroma lehmannii Bitter
Section Spinosa
- Iochroma cardenasianum Hunziker (see notes)
- Iochroma parvifolium (Roemer & Schultes) D’Arcy (see notes)
Notes:
Iochroma australe is not an Iochroma but an Eriolarynx.
Iochroma cardenasianum is not an Iochroma and not a member of the tribe Physaleae (incl. subtribe Iochrominae) but the tribe Datureae.
Iochroma parviflorum is not an Iochroma but a Dunalia.
Iochromas as ornamentals
Several forms of Iochroma (some wild collected, some garden hybrids) have been given cultivar names. Some of the cultivars have been assigned to species but others, mainly hybrids, have not. There may be some synonymy in this list.
- Iochroma australe ‘Andean Snow’
- Iochroma australe ‘Bill Evans’
- Iochroma australe ‘Sunrise’
- Iochroma calycinum ‘Vlasta’s Surprise’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Album’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Apricot Belle’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Indigo’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Karl Hartweg’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘John Miers’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Royal Blue’,
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Sky King’,
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Trebah’
- Iochroma cyaneum ‘Woodcote White’
- Iochroma gesnerioides ‘Coccineum’
- Iochroma gesnerioides var. flavum
- Iochroma ‘Ashcott Red’
- Iochroma ‘Burgundy Bells’
- Iochroma ‘Frosty Plum’
- Iochroma ‘Ilie’s Plum’
- Iochroma ‘Plum Beauty’
- Iochroma ‘Plum Delight’
- Iochroma ‘Purple Haze’
- Iochroma ‘Sunset’
- Iochroma ‘Wine Red’
Main Sources.
- Shaw, J. M. H. (1998) A Review of Iochroma in Cultivation. New Plantsman 5(3): 154-192.
- Smith, S. D. and Baum D. A. (2006) Phylogenetics Of The Florally Diverse Andean Clade Iochrominae (Solanaceae). American Journal Of Botany 93(8): 1140–1153.
