| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.1–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 5–25 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–5 mm long, 10–17 times longer than wide, with scattered short glandular hairs on lower half. Branchlet hairs short glandular or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.4–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.25 mm long, lateral rays 6–11, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray present, central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet short glandular hairs sparse.
Leaves. Leaves broadly ovate or orbicular, 3.5–8.5 cm long, 2–5.5 cm wide, 1.2–1.7 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–3 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.2. Leaf apex obtuse, base cordate, oblique part 0–3.5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 1.2–3.5 cm long, 30–65% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–3 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse to moderate density, 0.4–0.6 mm apart, 0.6–0.9 mm across, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent or erect, straight, sparse, gland-tipped, 0.1–0.3 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green or greenish-white, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense, 0.1–0.2 mm apart, 0.5–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8–11, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed or supra-axillary, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–2 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 1–4-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers or all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 3–10 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or rostrate or attenuate, 2–7 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.4–0.7 mm across, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 6–10, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 7–9 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3–4 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 4.5–6 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 absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, globular, c. 15 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta sessile, elliptical, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 1–1.5 mm thick, pedicels 8–20 mm long, pedicels 1–1.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.7–3.1 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Maranoa. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, lancewood communities (dominated by Acacia catenulata, shirleyi, burrowii, etc.).
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • small flowering plant. • holotype. • plant at type locality. • popn at type locality.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
