Eriolarynx is a small genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), placed in the order Solanales. It is native to the central Andes of South America, occurring in Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. The genus is accepted in the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, which records it as containing several descendant taxa; Wikipedia lists four currently accepted species: Eriolarynx australis, E. fasciculata, E. iochromoides, and E. lorentzii.
The genus name carries an authorship citation of "(Hunz.) Hunz.," published in the journal Kurtziana (28(1): 66) in the year 2000. This parenthetical authorship pattern typically indicates that the name was first published at a different rank by the same botanist (Hunziker) before later being raised to full generic status by him. Consistent with this taxonomic history, at least one of its species, Eriolarynx australis, was formerly treated under the related genus Iochroma — reflected in the fact that its representative photograph remains catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under the name "Iochroma australe."
Members of Eriolarynx are woody plants bearing trumpet-shaped (tubular) flowers, a floral form characteristic of hummingbird-pollinated Solanaceae. Their flowers are chiefly visited and pollinated by hummingbirds, with bees acting as secondary pollinators. This pollination syndrome — elongated corollas suited to a hummingbird's bill and tongue — is shared with other Andean nightshade genera in the same region.
As a genus restricted to a relatively narrow Andean range spanning three countries, Eriolarynx is a minor component of South American montane flora. No information from the sources consulted here addresses its conservation status, cultivation, or documented human uses.
Distribution
Eriolarynx is native to the central Andes, found in Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.
Ecology
The genus's trumpet-shaped flowers are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds, with bees serving as secondary pollinators.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was published by Hunziker in Kurtziana 28(1): 66 (2000), with an authorship citation "(Hunz.) Hunz." indicating the name was elevated to genus rank from an earlier infrageneric name of his own. At least one species, E. australis, was historically known under the related genus Iochroma.
