Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–2.5 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 25–30 prickles per dm. Juvenile branchlets prickles 6–9 mm long. Juvenile leaves elliptical; shallowly-lobed throughout; with 4–6 pairs of lobes; lamina 8–13 cm long; lamina 2.5–4 cm wide; with 10–20 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets brown, or green. Adult branchlets prickles 1–10 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 4–9 mm long; 13–18 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate to dense; 0.25–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent, or present; central ray 0–0.4 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; entire, or shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 3–6 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–1.4; lamina 7–14.5 cm long; lamina 2.3–5 cm wide; lamina 2.1–3.2 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–2.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–2 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.6–1 cm long; 6–10 % length of lamina; prickles absent, or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–10; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 5–8 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 green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–4; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very sparse to moderate. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.5–1.7 mm apart; 0.4–0.6 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.2–0.6 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 0–4 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 5–13-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–8 mm long; markedly thicker distally; 0.15–0.25 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis rostrate; 0.2–1 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae moderate to dense; transparent; 0.25–0.3 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. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white, or mauve, or purple; 5–8 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy, or densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3–4.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style 3.5–4.5 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only; stellae c. 0.25 mm across; stellae lateral rays 7–10; stellae central ray 0–1 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; 13–17 mm diameter; red; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta sessile, elliptical; mesocarp juicy, succulent; exocarp 1.2–1.7 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 17–28 mm long; 0.6–0.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 3.8–4.3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook. Semi-deciduous vine forest on sand, laterite or granite.
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’.