Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter, or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–0.4 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult stems prickles present. Adult branchlets white, or grey, or yellow. Adult branchlets prickles 3–100 per decimetre; straight, broad-based; 1–5 mm long; 5–7 times longer than wide; glabrous, or with scattered stellate hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs Type 2, or stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.5–0.7 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 8–11; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs sparse.
Leaves. Adult leaves narrow lanceolate, or elliptical; entire; lamina 2.2–3.9 cm long; lamina 0.6–0.9 cm wide; lamina 3.7–4.9 times longer than broad; apex obtuse; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–2.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.25–0.9 cm long; 11–24 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, or grey; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.05–0.1 mm apart; 0.4–0.5 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 8–9; porrect; central ray 0.3–0.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent, or present throughout; 0.1–0.3 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.05 mm apart; 0.4–0.6 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 8–11; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.4–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent, or present throughout; 0.1–0.3 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed, or supra-axillary; solitary, or sessile (contracted); common peduncle absent; 1–2-flowered; with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 8–14 mm long; same thickness throughout; 1–1.1 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 1–4.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense; yellow, or white; 0.3–0.4 mm across; stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 9–14 mm long; rotate, or shallowly lobed, or deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3.4–5.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 6–9 mm long; erect; with Type 2 hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular; 12 mm diameter; yellow, or yellowish-green; mesocarp moist but not juicy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 11–19 mm long; 1–1.1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales, Victoria. Central western slopes (CWS), North western Plains (NWP), South western Plains (SWP), North far western Plains (NFWP), South Far Western Plains (SFWP).
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
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’.