| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–1 m high. Large stems bark corky on trunk.
Branchlets. Branchlets terete or ridged. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 30–160 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–5 mm long, 10–16 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs throughout lower part. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.25–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.7 mm long, lateral rays 6–9, lateral rays ascending, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready or rigid.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 3.5–7.5 cm long, 1.5–3.5 cm wide, 1.7–2.3 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 0.8–2.6 cm long, 16–35% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.5–0.7 mm across, stalks 0–0.7 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1.2–2.5 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 white to grey or yellowish, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.4–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1.5–2 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, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 5–14 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 1–2-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–11 mm long, same thickness throughout or markedly thicker distally, 1.1–1.5 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 3.5–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 4–7 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, transparent or brown or rusty, 0.5–0.7 mm across, stalks 0.3–0.9 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, 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 or mauve or purple, 12–17 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5.5–7.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 10.5–12.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous.
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 per inflorescence, globular, 14–18 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 4-locular, placenta stalked, circular to elliptical, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 2.4–3 mm thick, pedicels 7–13 mm long, pedicels 1.3–1.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds black, 2.5–2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Mitchell, Kennedy North, Burke. 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’.