| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.15–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–15 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 6–10 mm long, 12–17 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs short glandular or simple. Branchlet stellate hairs absent. Branchlet simple hairs erect, straight, gland-tipped, 0.4–0.8 mm long, short glandular hairs dense.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 3.5–5.5 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, 1.3–1.8 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 3–4 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 2.3–5. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–6 mm long, obliqueness index 0–10 percent. Petioles 1.2–4 cm long, 30–80% length of lamina, winged, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 6–20, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 3–13 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent, absent from surface. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, moderate to dense, gland-tipped, 0.5–0.9 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 11–25, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs absent. Lower leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse or moderate to dense, gland-tipped, 0.3–0.6 mm long. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 9–26 mm long, rachis prickles present, 4–8-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–10 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.4–0.5 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 2–4.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 5–20 per flower, 3–6 mm long. Calyx stellae absent. Calyx simple hairs present. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 8–10 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 6–7 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1–6 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, c. 15 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, pedicels 9–18 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.8–3.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Leichhardt, Kennedy South. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • adenophorum_type.jpg. • adenophorum_dried1.jpg. • adenophorum_dried.jpg.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
