Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub, or non-rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–4 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult stems prickles absent. Adult branchlets grey, or yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles absent. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.3–0.6 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.7 mm long; lateral rays 12–30; lateral rays echinoid; central ray not gland-tipped; thready. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate, or broadly ovate; entire; lamina 7–18 cm long; lamina 4–9 cm wide; lamina 1.8–2.1 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse. Adult leaves petioles 1.9–5.3 cm long; 21–32 % length of lamina; prickles absent. Axillary leaves absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, or grey-green; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density moderate density, or dense, or very dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 5–12; ascending, or multiradiate; 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, or white; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense, or very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.4–0.7 mm diameter; stalks 0.1–0.5 mm long; lateral rays 7–15; lateral rays ascending, or multiradiate; central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence terminal; branched (paniculate to corymbose); common peduncle 30–50 mm long; rachis prickles absent; with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis prickles absent. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 2–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, or very dense; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white; deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Functional style erect.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits globular; 9–13 mm diameter; yellow, or yellowish-green; conspicuously stellate hairy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 7–12 mm long. Seeds 1.6–2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Moreton, Wide Bay, Cook, Port Curtis, South Kennedy, North Kennedy. North Coast (NC), Central Coast (CC). Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah.
Miscellaneous. Data source: Symon 1981, 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’.