Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Prostrate, or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.15–0.3 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 5–30 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 2–8 mm long; 9–12 times longer than wide; glabrous, or with scattered Type 2 hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs Type 2, or simple, or stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate, or dense; 0.4–0.6 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; rigid. Adult branchlets simple hairs erect, straight; not gland-tipped; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs dense.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or broadly ovate; shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 2–4 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1.1–1.8; lamina 3.2–5 cm long; lamina 2.2–3.5 cm wide; lamina 1.3–1.9 times longer than broad; apex obtuse; base obtuse, or cordate; oblique part 0–3 mm long; obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.6–4.2 cm long; 40–100 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 12–25; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 3–12 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density sparse, or moderate density. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.3–0.8 mm apart; 0.3–0.8 mm across; stalks 0–0.25 mm long; lateral rays 4–9; porrect, or ascending, or multiradiate; central ray 1.5–4 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent, or erect, straight; sparse; not gland-tipped, or gland-tipped; 0.2–0.8 mm long. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs present throughout; 0.02–0.05 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white; prickles present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 5–16; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density moderate, or dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.2–0.4 mm apart; 0.5–0.9 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 4–12; lateral rays porrect, or multiradiate; central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent, or erect, straight; sparse; gland-tipped; 0.2–0.3 mm long. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent, or present throughout; 0.03–0.1 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed, or supra-axillary; cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–16 mm long; rachis prickles present; 4–6-flowered. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 16–30 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.5 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 3.5–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 5–45 per flower; 3–6 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate, or dense; transparent; 0.4–0.8 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 3–7; central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs present. Corolla purple; 11–17 mm long; rotate; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–4.6 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 5.5–7 mm long; erect; glabrous, or with Type 2 hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit; prickles 2–3 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular. Pedicels at fruiting stage 15–28 mm long; 0.8 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales, Victoria. Central western slopes (CWS), North western Plains (NWP), South western Plains (SWP).
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’.