| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.4–1 m high. Large stems bark thin, nondescript or furrowed, corky throughout.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 40–260 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2.5–8 mm long, 9–17 times longer than wide, with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.4–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.5 mm long, lateral rays 7–9, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.7–1.6 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves lanceolate or elliptical or ovate, 3.9–13.2 cm long, 1.8–5.1 cm wide, 1.8–2.4 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 3–5 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–2. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 2–12 mm long, obliqueness index 2–11 percent. Petioles 1.2–4.3 cm long, 16–38% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green or grey, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–1, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 2–4 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, dense to very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.6–0.8 mm across, stalks 0.1–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.5 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 greenish-white or white to grey or yellowish, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.6–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0.1–0.4 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.7–1.5 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 leaf-opposed or supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–33 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 15–30-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 5–27 mm long, same thickness throughout, prickles absent or present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 90–130. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 3–9 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 0–12. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 2–2.5 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–6 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 8–21 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–130 per flower, 2–9 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, white or transparent, 0.5–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.8 mm long, lateral rays 7–9, central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 7–23 mm long, rotate or shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5–7 mm long. Filaments 0.5–1 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with stellate hairs only. Functional style 12 mm long, erect near base, then bent towards apex, with stellate hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 3–7 mm long, lobes not recurved or strongly recurved. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 26–40 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 2-locular, placenta not apparent, interior dry, pericarp 4–7.5 mm thick, shed readily, leaving shallow circular scar, pedicels 18–50 mm long, pedicels 1.5–2.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds black, 3.9–4.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Northern Territory, Western Australia. Red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities, shrublands in arid zone.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers. • fruiting plant. • plant. • fruit. • whole plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
