Malia hits the jackpot in Nevada!

The monotypic genus Oryctes had been a fascination in the lab since the earliest days. Solanologist Armando Hunziker placed the genus in Iochrominae because of its purple tubular flowers, but beyond floral traits, Oryctes is its own thing.  First, it is tiny and let's be honest, the kind of cute only a mother could love. It is only found in a few high elevation deserts in the west (hello Death Valley), and its seeds have a thin membranous wing around the perimeter. 

Malia was determined to find this species and sample it for our Physalideae study. She made the loooong drive from Boulder to the deserts near the Nevada-California border. And boom, Orcytes nevadensis was in full splendor, with flowers and fruits ready to go. Back in the lab, we've been able image the samples and send material off to the Schenck lab for a full biochemistry work-up. Congrats to Malia for making this Solanaceae dream come true!