Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Prostrate. Stoloniferous perennial shrub. 0.1 m high. Juvenile stage absent.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets yellow, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles absent, or present; 0–10 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 2–7 mm long; 8–10 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense to very dense; 0.15–0.2 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate; entire; lamina 5–7.5 cm long; lamina 2.7–4 cm wide; lamina 1.5–2.2 times longer than broad; apex obtuse; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–3.5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.5–1.1 cm long; 7–20 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–3; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 2–5 mm long; stellate hairs absent, or confined to midrib; stellate hair density absent from surface. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white, or yellowish; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.2–0.3 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary; solitary, or cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–3 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 1–6-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–18 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.3–0.5 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic, or deltate; 1–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae moderate; transparent; 0.15–0.25 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white; 7–12 mm long; shallowly lobed, or deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 5.5–7 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 1–3 per inflorescence; globular; 10–12 mm diameter; red; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta sessile, semi-circular, or sessile, elliptical; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8–1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 22–25 mm long; 0.8–1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.4–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Moreton. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • type specimen.
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’.
