| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets rusty or brown or green. Branchlet prickles 0–20 per decimetre, curved, broad-based, 1–4 mm long, 2–3 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.5–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0.1–1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent or present, central ray 0–0.4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid.
Leaves. Leaves broadly ovate, 12–26 cm long, 9–19 cm wide, 1.3–1.9 times longer than broad, shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 3–5 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 1.2–2.1. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate or obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–12 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 2–6.3 cm long, 11–25% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse to moderate density, 0.3–0.6 mm apart, 0.2–0.6 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.2–2 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 yellowish, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–3, prickles straight, broad-based or curved, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate to dense, 0.3–0.5 mm apart, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.1–0.7 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, branched (paniculate to corymbose), common peduncle 6–18 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 13–65-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 3–13 mm long, markedly thicker distally, 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis rostrate or attenuate, 4.5–10 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense to very dense, brown or rusty, 0.3–0.9 mm across, stalks 0–1 mm long, lateral rays 7–9, central ray 0.2–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 14–20 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 6–9 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 10–13.5 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 absent. Mature fruits 7–37 per inflorescence, globular, 14–17 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 2-locular or 3-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.5–0.8 mm thick, pedicels 11–21 mm long, pedicels 1.4–1.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.4–2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Moreton, Wide Bay, Burnett. NSW: North Coast. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Classification. Naturalised. Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Giant Devil's Fig. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers. • leaves and flowers. • ripe fruits. • shrub. • flowers and ripe fruits. • prickles on stem. • leaves and fruit.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
