Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.8–1.8 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 15–25 prickles per dm. Juvenile branchlets prickles 5–9 mm long. Juvenile leaves lanceolate; shallowly-lobed throughout, or deeply lobed throughout; with 1–2 pairs of lobes; lamina 7–10 cm long; lamina 1.5–2.5 cm wide; with 3–5 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 1–10 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 5–9 mm long; 7–10 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.3–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–10; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent, or present; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Adult leaves linear, or narrow lanceolate; entire, or with basal lobes only; lobes 0–1 on each side; lobes obtuse; lamina 5–11 cm long; lamina 0.5–1.3 cm wide; lamina 6–13 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse, or hastate; oblique part 0–1.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–2 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.3–0.9 cm long; 5–15 % length of lamina; prickles absent, or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein only; prickles 1–7; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 4–10 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.4–0.7 mm apart; 0.1–0.2 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; porrect; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white, or yellowish; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–5; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.2–0.45 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary; cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle 1–11 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 3–6-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–10 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.8–0.9 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, or attenuate; 2.5–4.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense; transparent, or purple; 0.25–0.4 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 8–14 mm long; rotate; inner surface glabrous, or sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4.5–6.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 8–11 mm long; erect; with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae 0.4–0.5 mm across; stellae lateral rays 8–11; stellae central ray c. 1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence; oblate, or globular; 11–16 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; 2-locular; placenta stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.7–0.8 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 9–13 mm long; 0.9–1.4 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds white, or pale yellow; 2.3–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Moreton, Darling Downs. Northern Tablelands (NT), North-western slopes (NWS). Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • fruit. • adult and juvenile leaves.
The interactive key provides access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, and summaries of attributes within groups of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2005 onwards. Solanum species of Eastern Australia. Version: 8th October 2006. http://delta-intkey.com’.
