| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.2–0.8 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or green. Branchlet prickles 5–30 per decimetre, straight and acicular or straight, broad-based, 1.5–6 mm long, 5–10 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs throughout lower part. Branchlet hairs simple or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.3–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.6–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Branchlet simple hairs absent or erect, straight, gland-tipped, 0.1–0.2 mm long, short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical, 1.8–3.7 cm long, 0.6–1.2 cm wide, 2.9–4.1 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate, oblique part 0–2 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 0.6–1.2 cm long, 23–43% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green or grey, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, sparse or moderate density or dense, 0.1–0.4 mm apart, 0.3–0.7 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green or greenish-white or white to grey, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse or moderate or dense or very dense, 0.05–0.4 mm apart, 0.4–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.4–0.9 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 1–26 mm long, rachis prickles present, 2–5-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–9 mm long, same thickness throughout, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1.2–2.1 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 8–26 per flower, 1–3 mm long. Calyx stellae dense or very dense, yellow or white or transparent, 0.25–0.5 mm across, stalks 0–0.05 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, central ray 0.7–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent or present. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 7–9 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3–4.7 mm long. Filaments 0.2–0.3 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 5–6.5 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 1–3.5 mm long. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, globular, 8 mm diameter, pedicels 11–21 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Mitchell.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.