Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Sprawling, or erect. Perennial vine. 1–2 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 70–90 per decimetre; curved, broad-based; 2–4 mm long; 2.5–4 times longer than wide; glabrous, or with scattered stellate hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate to dense; 0.2–0.3 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.4–0.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves broadly ovate; shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 5–7 on each side; lobes acute; lobing index 1.1–1.3; lamina 8–12 cm long; lamina 5–7.5 cm wide; lamina 1.4–1.8 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–7 mm long; obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.6–3 cm long; 20–30 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 40–120; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 3–11 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.6–1.4 mm apart; 0.2–0.35 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; porrect; central ray 0.5–1 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 present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 15–30; prickles straight, acicular, or straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense to very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.05–0.2 mm apart; 0.25–0.35 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.3–0.6 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 6–12 mm long; rachis prickles absent, or present; 7–10-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 12–18 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, or rostrate; 0.5–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense; yellow, or white, or purple; 0.2–0.3 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.4–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla mauve; 9–14 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5.5–6.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style c. 8.5 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only; stellae c. 0.2 mm across; stellae lateral rays 6–8; stellae central ray c. 1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; 17 mm diameter; orange. Pedicels at fruiting stage 23–28 mm long; 1–1.3 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 1.9–2.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
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’.