Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Sprawling, or erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.3–0.5 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets brown, or green. Adult branchlets prickles 30–70 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 6–10 mm long; 13–20 times longer than wide; glabrous, or with scattered Type 2 hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense; 0.25–0.6 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 4–7; lateral rays porrect; central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; entire; lamina 4.5–12.5 cm long; lamina 3–7.5 cm wide; lamina 1.6–1.9 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–7 mm long; obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.6–2.8 cm long; 13–25 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–20; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 3–7 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.4–1.7 mm apart; 0.3–0.7 mm across; stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; porrect; central ray 1–2 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 greenish-white; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–1; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.15–0.4 mm apart; 0.6–0.8 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 1–1.5 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; solitary, or cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle 1.5–4 mm long; rachis prickles present; 1–3-flowered; strongly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 8–13 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.9–1.1 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 4–6 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense; white; 0.25–0.4 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs present. Corolla mauve; 7–11 mm long; shallowly lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4–5 mm long. Ovary with stellate and Type 2 hairs. Functional style 5–6 mm long; erect; with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae c. 0.25 mm across; stellae lateral rays 6–8; stellae central ray 1–1.5 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; 16–19 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8–1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 10–24 mm long; 1.1–2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2–2.3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Maranoa, Leichhardt, Warrego. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah.
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’.