Background:

Knowledge on Mexican Solanaceae is uneven. Several areas are well collected and have been floristically treated in recent times, but others have been neglected and are poorly represented in herbaria.

Question:

Which species of Solanaceae grow in Mexico and which is their state distribution.

Study site:

Mexico from 2009 to 2011.

Methods:

We reviewed family literature as well as Mexican and North American herbaria. We analyzed species distribution for each state, and endemism for the country and MegaMexico.

Results:

We found three subfamilies (Cestroideae Juanulloideae and Solanoideae), 34 genera, 381 species, and 18 varieties. We include state distributions and endemism for the country, as well as for MegaMexico 1, in which the natural limits of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Tamaulipean deserts are included, and MegaMexico 2 which includes Central America up to northern Nicaragua. There are no endemic genera to Mexico, but Nectouxia, Datura and Chamaesaracha are endemic to MegaMexico 1, and Plowmania, Tzeltalia, Capsicophysalis and Schraderanthus are endemic to MegaMexico2. Three genera, Brugmansia, Petunia and Nicandra are introduced and have naturalized species. Solanum has the highest number of species (130), then Physalis with 65, and Cestrum 42. Mexico harbors all the species of Datura and Tzeltalia, 80 % of Chamaesaracha and 77 % of Physalis. As to state richness, Oaxaca has 172 species, Chiapas 167, Jalisco 148, and Veracruz 145. The states with less species are Tlaxcala with 16, Campeche with 19, and Colima with 27.

Conclusions:

Mexico is an important center of diversity and endemism of Solanaceae. One hundred thirty five species are endemic to Mexico, with eight varieties. MegaMexico 1 has 30 endemic species with two varieties, and MegaMexico 2 has 57 endemic species. Endemism figures will probably vary once nomenclatural problems of under collected taxa are resolved.

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