Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.4–1.5 m high. Juvenile branchlets with c. 20 prickles per dm. Juvenile leaves linear, or linear-hastate; with basal lobes only; with 1 pairs of lobes; lamina 7–12 cm long; lamina 0.8–1.2 cm wide.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets white, or grey, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 15–60 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 2–10 mm long; 9–13 times longer than wide; glabrous, or with scattered Type 2 hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate to very dense; 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent, or present; central ray 0–0.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Adult leaves linear; entire, or with basal lobes only; lobes 0–1 on each side; lobes obtuse; lamina 3–7.5 cm long; lamina 0.2–0.7 cm wide; lamina 9–26 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or hastate; oblique part 0–1 mm long; obliqueness index 0–2 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.4–1 cm long; 8–20 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein only; prickles 2–6; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 2–9 mm long; stellate hairs confined to midrib, or distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.4–0.8 mm apart; 0.25–0.35 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 4–8; porrect; central ray 0–1 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 green, or greenish-white, or white, or yellowish; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–4; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density sparse to very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.05–0.7 mm apart; 0.2–0.7 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0–0.5 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; cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–7 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 2–10-flowered; strongly andromonoecious, or weakly andromonoecious, or with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–13 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.2–0.4 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–2 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, or rostrate; 0.7–1.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae moderate to very dense; yellow; 0.3–0.5 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white, or mauve; 6–12 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs. Functional style 4.5–6.5 mm long; erect; glabrous, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae c. 0.4 mm across; stellae lateral rays 7–8; stellae central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; globular; 6–9 mm diameter; red; glabrous, or with a few scattered Type 2 hairs; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta not apparent; mesocarp juicy, succulent; exocarp 0.1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 13–16 mm long; 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 3–3.6 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Darling Downs, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Warrego, Mitchell, Gregory North, Burke. North-western slopes (NWS), Central western slopes (CWS), North western Plains (NWP), South western Plains (SWP), North far western Plains (NFWP), South Far Western Plains (SFWP). Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, lancewood communities (dominated by Acacia catenulata, shirleyi, burrowii, etc.), red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities, shrublands in arid zone.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowering plant.
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’.
