Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.2–0.5 m high. Juvenile leaves broadly ovate; shallowly-lobed throughout; with 3–4 pairs of lobes; lamina c. 6 cm long; lamina 4 cm wide; with 0 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult stems prickles absent. Adult branchlets yellow, or brown, or green. Adult branchlets prickles absent. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense to very dense; 0.5–1 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.8 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals; central ray gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; entire, or shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 3–5 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–1.2; lamina 4–10 cm long; lamina 2.2–5.5 cm wide; lamina 1.4–1.9 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base obtuse, or cordate; oblique part 0–3 mm long; obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.8–2.3 cm long; 17–30 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, or grey-green; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density dense to very dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.2–0.3 mm apart; 0.5–0.9 mm across; stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 5–10; porrect, or ascending; central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals; central ray gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense to very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.1–0.25 mm apart; 0.8–1.3 mm diameter; stalks 0.1–0.5 mm long; lateral rays 5–11; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray 0.8–2 times as long as laterals; central ray gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary; cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle 4–21 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 3–7-flowered; weakly andromonoecious, or with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–12 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.7–1.2 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic; 2.5–9 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense; transparent; 0.7–1 mm across; stalks 0–0.7 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals; central ray gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla mauve, or purple; 11–15 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–6 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 6–11 mm long; erect; glabrous, or with Type 2 hairs only, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae c. 0.5 mm across; stellae lateral rays c. 7; stellae central ray c. 1.5 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes exceeding mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; ellipsoidal or ovoid; 4.5–7 mm diameter; red; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta not apparent; mesocarp juicy, succulent; exocarp 0.2–0.3 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 7–15 mm long; 1.2–1.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.6–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Wide Bay, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Port Curtis. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • fruit. • flowering plant. • colony of plants. • flowers and leaves.
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’.
