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 absent.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets yellow, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 10–45 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 2.5–9 mm long; 10–16 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense; 0.25–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.3–0.7 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; shallowly lobed throughout, or deeply lobed throughout; lobes 2–3 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1.5–3; lamina 1.2–2.6 cm long; lamina 0.6–1.3 cm wide; lamina 1.6–2.4 times longer than broad; apex obtuse; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–1 mm long; obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.15–0.45 cm long; 13–22 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein only; prickles 1–3; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 1–5 mm long; stellate hairs confined to midrib, or distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.3–1 mm apart; 0.1–0.3 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; 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 green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–2; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density sparse to moderate. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.4–0.7 mm apart; 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.5–1.2 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 leaf-opposed, or supra-axillary; solitary, or sessile (contracted); common peduncle absent, or present; 1–2-flowered; strongly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 9–15 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.4–0.6 mm thick at mid-point; prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, or rostrate; 2–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 18–50 per flower; 1.5–5 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate to dense; transparent; 0.2–0.3 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; 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 mauve; 9–14 mm long; shallowly lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 5.5–8.5 mm long; erect; with Type 2 hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, or lobes more than half length of mature fruit; prickles 2–5 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular; 15 mm diameter; mesocarp moist but not juicy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 15–27 mm long; 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.7–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. South Kennedy, North Kennedy. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • type specimen.
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’.
