Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.4–1 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets terete, or ridged; white, or grey, or yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 35–400 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 1–9 mm long; 7–11 times longer than wide; with dense stellate hairs on lower part. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.8–1.3 mm diameter; stalks 0–1.2 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves lanceolate, or elliptical, or ovate; entire, or shallowly lobed throughout, or deeply lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 2–4 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–5; lamina 4–9.5 cm long; lamina 1.4–3.7 cm wide; lamina 1.6–3.5 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–8 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.8–2.1 cm long; 20–30 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, or grey; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–8; prickles straight, acicular, or straight, broad-based; prickles 3–10 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density dense to very dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.15–0.3 mm apart; 0.7–1 mm across; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 6–9; porrect, or ascending; central ray 1–2.5 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, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–5; prickles straight, acicular, or straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense to very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.1–0.2 mm apart; 0.8–1.2 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.5 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 1–1.8 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 absent, or present; common peduncle 0–3 mm long; rachis prickles present; 7–11-flowered; strongly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous; markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 5–23 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.7–1.3 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 40–125; 2–6 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 0–15; 1–3 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 6.5–11 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 18–125 per flower; 1–6 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense; white; 0.7–0.9 mm across; stalks 0–1.5 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 10–20 mm long; rotate; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–6.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 10–12.5 mm long; erect; glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit; prickles 2–6 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular; 23–30 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; mesocarp moist but not juicy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 23–48 mm long; 1.3–2.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds brown to black; 3.3–3.6 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Gregory North, Burke. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, shrublands in arid zone.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • whole plant. • small colony. • closeup of flowers. • whole plant.
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’.
