Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.5–1.5 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or brown, or green. Adult branchlets prickles 10–25 per decimetre; straight, broad-based; 3–7 mm long; 2–4 times longer than wide; with scattered stellate hairs on lower half. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae sparse to moderate; 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; deeply lobed throughout; lobes 3–4 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 5–13; lamina 5–12.5 cm long; lamina 2.8–8 cm wide; lamina 1.4–1.9 times longer than broad; apex obtuse; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–10 mm long; obliqueness index 0–8 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.6–2.7 cm long; 10–25 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 9–25; prickles straight, broad-based; prickles 3–13 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.9–2 mm apart; 0.25–0.4 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–9; porrect; central ray 0.7–2 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 green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 8–20; prickles straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density sparse to moderate. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.5–1 mm apart; 0.4–1 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.8–2 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 supra-axillary; sessile (contracted); common peduncle absent; 3–5-flowered; strongly andromonoecious, or weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous; markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 4–12 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.6–0.9 mm thick at mid-point; prickles present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 60–100; 0.5–5 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 12–25; 0.5–3 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic, or deltate; 2–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 12–100 per flower; 0.5–5 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate to dense; white, or transparent; 0.2–0.5 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 4–7; central ray 0.5–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs present. Corolla purple; 8–15 mm long; shallowly lobed, or deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5–6 mm long. Ovary glabrous, or with stellate hairs only. Functional style 7.5–9 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only; stellae 0.2–0.25 mm across; stellae lateral rays 6–8; stellae central ray 1.5–2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles 1–5 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence; globular; 23–30 mm diameter; yellow; 2-locular; placenta stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 1–2.5 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 17–21 mm long; 1.5–3 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds brown to black; 2.9–3.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. Moreton, Wide Bay, South Kennedy. North Coast (NC), Central Coast (CC), South Coast (SC), South western Plains (SWP). Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Naturalised. Common name: Apple of Sodom. Data source: specimens.
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’.