| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–1 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets terete or ridged. Branchlets rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 80–130 per decimetre, straight and acicular or straight, broad-based, 1–9 mm long, 7–11 times longer than wide, with scattered short glandular hairs on lower half (and finger hairs). Branchlet hairs simple or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 2–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet simple hairs erect, straight, not gland-tipped or gland-tipped, 0.2–0.4 mm long.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or broadly ovate, 4.7–13.4 cm long, 3.1–10.4 cm wide, 1.2–1.6 times longer than broad, shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 3–5 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 1.2–1.4. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–10 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 2.1–6 cm long, 32–55% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 40–76, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 4–10 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, very sparse or sparse, 0.6–2.5 mm apart, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 1–4, lateral rays ascending, central ray 2–6 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, moderate to dense, gland-tipped, 0.2–1.2 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white or white to grey, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 28–48, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse or moderate, 0.3–0.4 mm apart, 0.4–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse, gland-tipped, 0.15–0.3 mm long. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed or supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 25–37 mm long, rachis prickles present, 5–7-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers all similar or markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 8–15 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 56–75. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 2–5 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 15–25. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 2–5 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 3.5–6 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 3.5–7 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 18–75 per flower, 2–5 mm long. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.3–0.6 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 3–7, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs present. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 15–20 mm long, campanulate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 6.2–8.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 9.5 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes exceeding mature fruit or hypanthium accrescent, enclosing most or all of mature fruit, prickles 2.5–4 mm long. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, globular, 26 mm diameter, pedicels 20–27 mm long, pedicels 1.3–1.4 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds black, 2.8–3.1 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales. NSW: Central Coast, Central Tablelands, Central-west Slopes. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • campanulatum_20curtis3672.jpg.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
