Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–3 m high. Juvenile leaves ovate; deeply lobed throughout; with 2–4 pairs of lobes; lamina 10–14 cm long; lamina 6–8 cm wide.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 0–5 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 5–8 mm long; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.2–0.3 mm diameter; lateral rays 6–8; 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 lanceolate, or elliptical; entire, or shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 2–3 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–1.2; lamina 7–13.5 cm long; lamina 1.7–3.7 cm wide; lamina 3.7–4.8 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–2.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1–1.7 cm long; 12–16 % length of lamina; prickles absent, or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density moderate density to dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.1 mm apart; 0.15–0.2 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; 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. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.25–0.35 mm diameter; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0–0.5 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); rachis prickles absent; 3–9-flowered; strongly andromonoecious, or weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–11 mm long; same thickness throughout; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 3.5–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense; transparent, or purple; 0.3–0.4 mm across; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 10–13 mm long; rotate. Anthers 4.5–5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 9–9.5 mm long; erect; glabrous, or with Type 2 hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, or lobes more than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; oblate, or globular; 17–22 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; 2-locular; placenta stalked, circular to elliptical, or stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8–1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 15–20 mm long. Seeds white, or pale yellow; 2.1–2.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales. North Coast (NC). Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
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’.