Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Sprawling, or erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.6–3 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 15–25 prickles per dm. Juvenile leaves ovate; shallowly-lobed throughout; with 2–3 pairs of lobes; lamina 9–11 cm long; lamina 3.5–4.5 cm wide; with 0–20 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 4–30 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 3–7 mm long; 12–16 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense to very dense; 0.15–0.25 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate (sometimes obovate); entire, or shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 2–3 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–1.2; lamina 4.5–10.5 cm long; lamina 1.9–5 cm wide; lamina 2–2.9 times longer than broad; apex acute; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–1.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–2 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.3–1.1 cm long; 6–14 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–15; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 3–6 mm long; stellate hairs absent, or confined to midrib; stellate hair density absent from surface. 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. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.05 mm apart; 0.15–0.25 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary; sessile (contracted), or cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–3 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 3–10-flowered; with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–21 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.3–0.5 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, or rostrate; 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae moderate to dense; 0.15–0.25 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white, or mauve; 8–10 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 5.5–7 mm long; erect; with Type 2 hairs only, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae c. 0.2 mm across; stellae lateral rays 6–7; stellae central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence; globular; 7–12 mm diameter; red; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta not apparent; mesocarp juicy, succulent; exocarp 0.2–0.7 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 10–22 mm long; 0.6–0.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.8–3.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Moreton, Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Burnett, Cook, Port Curtis, North Kennedy. North Coast (NC). Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • leaves (lower surface) and fruits. • leaves (upper surface). • immature and mature fruits. • flowers. • mature fruits.
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’.
