Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Perennial vine. 1.5–7 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 30–40 prickles per dm. Juvenile branchlets prickles 2–3 mm long. Juvenile leaves broadly ovate; shallowly-lobed throughout; with 4–6 pairs of lobes; lamina 18–22 cm long; lamina 9–13 cm wide; with 50–100 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 50–140 per decimetre; curved, broad-based; 1–3.5 mm long; 1–2.5 times longer than wide; with scattered stellate hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.3–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.4 mm long; lateral rays 7–10; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; entire; lamina 11–15 cm long; lamina 5–6.5 cm wide; lamina 1.7–2.4 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse, or cordate; oblique part 0–6 mm long; obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.9–3.8 cm long; 17–25 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, or grey-green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–10; prickles straight, broad-based; prickles 2.5–7 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density moderate density to dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.2–0.3 mm apart; 0.25–0.4 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; porrect; central ray 0.7–1.2 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 white, or yellowish; prickles present on midvein only; prickles 1–6; prickles curved, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.1–0.15 mm apart; 0.4–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 8–9; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.7–1.5 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 0–5 mm long; rachis prickles absent, or present; 5–11-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 8–18 mm long; markedly thicker distally; 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense to very dense; white, or brown or rusty; 0.25–0.5 mm across; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.7–1.2 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla mauve; 9–15 mm long; shallowly lobed, or deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4.5–6 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style 8–8.5 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only; stellae 0.3–0.5 mm across; stellae lateral rays 6–8; stellae central ray 0.7–1.2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence; globular; 13–15 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; 2-locular; placenta sessile, semi-circular, or stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8–1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 18–25 mm long; 0.8–1.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2–2.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook, North Kennedy. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Miscellaneous. Common name: Dirran Curse. Data source: specimens.
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Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2005 onwards. Solanum species of Eastern Australia. Version: 8th October 2006. http://delta-intkey.com’.