Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high. Juvenile leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; deeply lobed throughout; with 2–4 pairs of lobes; lamina 9–24 cm long; lamina 5.5–17 cm wide; with c. 60 prickles on upper surface.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets white, or grey. Adult branchlets prickles 2–30 per decimetre; straight, acicular, or straight, broad-based; 3–9 mm long; 6–10 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 6–7; lateral rays porrect; central ray absent, or present; central ray 0–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; shallowly lobed throughout, or deeply lobed throughout; lobes 2–4 on each side; lobes acute; lobing index 1.7–4; lamina 7–14 cm long; lamina 3–5 cm wide; lamina 1.4–2.7 times longer than broad; apex acute; base obtuse, or cordate; oblique part 1–8 mm long; obliqueness index 1–6 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.3–3.5 cm long; 17–26 % length of lamina; prickles absent, or present.
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 4–10 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.4–0.5 mm apart; 0.15–0.25 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; porrect; central ray 0–0.5 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 white, or yellowish; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–2; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.35–0.45 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–7; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0–0.5 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 0–6 mm long; rachis prickles absent, or present; 4–9-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 10–17 mm long; markedly thicker distally; 0.7–1.2 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent, or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–6 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 5–8 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent, or present; 0–5 per flower; 2–5 mm long. Calyx stellae dense; transparent, or purple; 0.4–0.7 mm across; stalks 0–0.3 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 10–17 mm long; rotate; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 9–10 mm long; erect; with Type 2 hairs only, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae lateral rays 7–9.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent, or present; prickles 4–7 mm long. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence; globular; 18–24 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; 2-locular; placenta stalked, anvil-shaped; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8–1 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 15–24 mm long; 1.2–1.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 2.5–2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Darling Downs. North Coast (NC). Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • leaves. • floral display. • flowers. • 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’.
