| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 0–5 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 5–8 mm long, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.2–0.3 mm diameter, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent or present, central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Leaves lanceolate or elliptical, 7–13.5 cm long, 1.7–3.7 cm wide, 3.7–4.8 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–3 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.2. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0–2.5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 1–1.7 cm long, 12–16% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent or present on midvein only. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, moderate density to dense, 0.1 mm apart, 0.15–0.2 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0–0.5 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 very dense, 0.25–0.35 mm diameter, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0–0.5 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 supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), rachis prickles absent, 3–9-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–11 mm long, same thickness throughout, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 3.5–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, transparent or purple, 0.3–0.4 mm across, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0–0.5 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. Anthers 4.5–5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 9–9.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or 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 1–4 per inflorescence, oblate or globular, 17–22 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 2-locular, placenta stalked, circular to elliptical or stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.8–1 mm thick, pedicels 15–20 mm long. Seeds white or pale yellow, 2.1–2.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales. NSW: North Coast. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
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’.