Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.5–1 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets terete, or ridged; white, or grey, or rusty. Adult branchlets prickles 140–600 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 1–11 mm long; 10–14 times longer than wide; with dense stellate hairs on lower part. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.25–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 7–11; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray present; central ray 0.7–2 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready. Adult branchlets simple hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; deeply lobed throughout; lobes 3–5 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 2.5–12; lamina 5–7.5 cm long; lamina 2–3 cm wide; lamina 1.9–3 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 4–7 mm long; obliqueness index 6–10 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.7–1.4 cm long; 15–25 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, or grey; prickles present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 4–55; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 1–10 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density dense to very dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.05–0.15 mm apart; 0.2–0.35 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; porrect; central ray 0.2–1.2 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 present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 6–70; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.2–1.2 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; solitary (bisexual), or cymose (pseudo-racemose) (male); common peduncle 14–18 mm long; rachis prickles present; 12–28-flowered (male); with all flowers unisexual (dioecious species). Flowers 5-merous; markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 2–6 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.4–0.8 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 300–600; 1–5 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 18–30; 1–4 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 18–600 per flower; 1–5 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense; white, or brown or rusty; 0.3–0.4 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.7–1.4 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 11–14 mm long (male); rotate; inner surface densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4–4.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 9.5–12 mm long; erect; glabrous. Stigma forked.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx hypanthium accrescent, enclosing most or all of mature fruit; prickles 3–10 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular; c. 25 mm diameter. Pedicels at fruiting stage 3–5 mm long; 1.5–2 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook, Burke. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
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Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2005 onwards. Solanum species of Eastern Australia. Version: 8th October 2006. http://delta-intkey.com’.