Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–3.5 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 120–400 prickles per dm. Juvenile branchlets prickles 1.5–6 mm long. Juvenile leaves elliptical, or ovate; deeply lobed throughout; with 2–4 pairs of lobes; lamina 16–24 cm long; lamina 9–14 cm wide; with 100–150 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets mauve, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 5–55 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 2–9 mm long; 10–14 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate; 0.4–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 4–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent, or present; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; rigid.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 3–5 on each side; lobes acute; lobing index 1.1–1.8; lamina 9.5–19 cm long; lamina 3.5–7.5 cm wide; lamina 2.3–2.7 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–18 mm long; obliqueness index 0–9 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.1–2.2 cm long; 10–22 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 8–40; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 3–11 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.8–1.4 mm apart; 0.4–0.5 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 4–8; porrect; central ray 0.5–1.5 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, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–9; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density sparse to moderate. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.5–1.3 mm apart; 0.3–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 4–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.3–1 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; rachis prickles absent; 4–13-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–24 mm long; same thickness throughout, or markedly thicker distally; 0.5–1 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 4–9 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very sparse to sparse to moderate; yellow; 0.15–0.25 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; central ray 0.5–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs present. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white, or mauve, or purple; 8–15 mm long; shallowly lobed, or deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–6 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 7.5–8.5 mm long; erect; glabrous, or with Type 2 hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; globular, or ellipsoidal or ovoid; 11–15 mm diameter; red; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta not apparent; mesocarp juicy, succulent; exocarp 0.4–0.5 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 26–38 mm long; 0.6–2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.6–3.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Moreton. North Coast (NC). Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Miscellaneous. Common name: Gin's Whiskers. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • mature fruits. • flowers. • flowering branch. • mature fruits.
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’.
