| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.1–0.25 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or mauve to purple or yellow or brown. Branchlet prickles 10–100 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–8 mm long, 8–14 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs throughout lower part. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.5–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.5–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 3.5–14 cm long, 1.5–5.2 cm wide, 1.7–2.9 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–9 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 0.8–4 cm long, 20–45% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green, prickles present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 2–20, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, sparse or moderate density or dense, 0.1–0.5 mm apart, 0.4–0.7 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.5–1 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 greenish-white or white to grey or yellowish, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–20, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate to very dense, 0.05–0.3 mm apart, 0.5–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.5–1.2 times as long as laterals. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–6 mm long, rachis prickles present, 1–5-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–11 mm long, 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 2–6 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 5–50 per flower, 1–5 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate to very dense, yellow or white or brown or rusty, 0.4–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.8–1.3 times as long as laterals. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 7–12 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 5.5–10 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only. Stigma unexpanded.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1–5 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, 13–17 mm diameter, yellowish-green, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.6–1 mm thick, pedicels 7–19 mm long, pedicels 0.8–2.1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.2–2.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Burnett, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Port Curtis, Kennedy South, Kennedy North. NSW: North-west Slopes. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, lancewood communities (dominated by Acacia catenulata, shirleyi, burrowii, etc.), red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Potato Bush. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • fruiting plant. • plant. • fruits. • flowers.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
