| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Shrub. 0.5–1.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown or green. Branchlet prickles 100–1040 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–9 mm long, 6–16 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate or dense or very dense, 0.25–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.5 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.5–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 4.1–15.5 cm long, 2.1–8.2 cm wide, 1.2–2.8 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0–4 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 1–1.4. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 2–24 mm long, obliqueness index 3–16 percent. Petioles 0.7–3.5 cm long, 10–33% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface yellowish or green or grey, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–11, prickles straight and acicular or straight, broad-based, prickles 1–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, sparse or moderate density or dense or very dense, 0.05–0.8 mm apart, 0.4–1.2 mm across, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 4–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending or 2–3-tiered, central ray 0.6–1.3 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 or yellowish or rusty, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–14, prickles straight and acicular or straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse or moderate or dense or very dense, 0.05–0.6 mm apart, 0.5–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.4 mm long, lateral rays 5–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending or 2–3-tiered, central ray 0.5–1.4 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, rachis prickles present, 9–16-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 11–16 mm long, prickles absent or present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 180–250. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 1.5–10 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 50–110. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 1.5–4.5 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 4.5–8 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present. Calyx stellae moderate or dense or very dense, yellow or transparent, 0.35–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–1.1 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, central ray 0.8–1.8 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 10–13 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous or with simple hairs. Anthers 6.5–7.5 mm long. Filaments 0.5–1 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 13–16 mm long.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes exceeding mature fruit. Fruiting calyx prickles 190–310. Fruiting calyx prickles 1.5–12 mm long, lobes strongly recurved. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 17–28 mm diameter, yellowish-green or white, pedicels 25–40 mm long. Seeds black, 2.7–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Northern Territory. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
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’.