Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 30–50 prickles per dm. Juvenile branchlets prickles 4–5 mm long. Juvenile leaves ovate; shallowly-lobed throughout; with 4–5 pairs of lobes; lamina 9.5–11.5 cm long; lamina 4.3–5.5 cm wide; with 20–40 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets yellow, or rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles absent, or present; 0–25 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 1.5–5.5 mm long; 7–10 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense; 0.2–0.3 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 3–6 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; entire, or shallowly lobed throughout; lobes 0 on each side, or 4–6 on each side; lobes obtuse; lobing index 1–1.1; lamina 9–18 cm long; lamina 4–8 cm wide; lamina 2.2–2.7 times longer than broad; apex acute, or acuminate; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–4.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–3 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1–3.5 cm long; 8–19 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only, or present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 0–10; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 1–4 mm long; stellate hairs confined to midrib, or distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density absent from surface, or very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.25–1 mm apart; 0.2–0.3 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; porrect; central ray 4–8 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 yellowish; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density moderate to very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.05–0.3 mm apart; 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 1.5–3 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 2–8 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 6–18-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–10 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.4–0.7 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 3–4 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense; yellow, or brown or rusty; 0.25–0.35 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 3–6 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla mauve, or purple; 6–11 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style c. 6 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only; stellae 0.25–0.3 mm across; stellae lateral rays c. 8; stellae central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence; globular; 20–27 mm diameter; yellow, or yellowish-green; 2-locular; placenta stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 4.5–6 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 19–23 mm long; 1.2–2.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.7–3.1 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook, North Kennedy. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Miscellaneous. 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’.