| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub or perennial vine. 2–5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown. Branchlet prickles 15–30 per decimetre, curved, broad-based, 2–6 mm long, 2–5 times longer than wide, with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.15–0.25 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate or broadly ovate, 10–14.5 cm long, 4.5–7 cm wide, 1.9–2.5 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–6 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.3. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, oblique part 3–7 mm long, obliqueness index 2–6 percent. Petioles 1.3–2.4 cm long, 13–18% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–15, prickles straight, broad-based, prickles 5–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, protostellae absent, absent from surface or very sparse, 0.7–4.5 mm apart, 0.25–0.35 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–9, lateral rays porrect, 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 or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–4, prickles straight and acicular or straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.25–0.35 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–10 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 5–17-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 12–23 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.6–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 3–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, transparent or purple, 0.2–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 8–10, 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 mauve, 8–14 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy or densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5–6.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style 7–8.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.2–0.4 mm across, stellae lateral rays 11–15, stellae central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, oblate or globular, 30–35 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 3.8–4.2 mm thick, pedicels 29–39 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.3–2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook. 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’.