| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Perennial vine. 1–2 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 70–90 per decimetre, curved, broad-based, 2–4 mm long, 2.5–4 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.2–0.3 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.4–0.8 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready.
Leaves. Leaves broadly ovate, 8–12 cm long, 5–7.5 cm wide, 1.4–1.8 times longer than broad, shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 5–7 on each side, lobes acute, lobing index 1.1–1.3. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, oblique part 0–7 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 1.6–3 cm long, 20–30% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 40–120, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 3–11 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very sparse to sparse, 0.6–1.4 mm apart, 0.2–0.35 mm across, stalks 0 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 white to grey or yellowish, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 15–30, prickles straight and acicular or straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.05–0.2 mm apart, 0.25–0.35 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.6 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), common peduncle 6–12 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 7–10-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 12–18 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or rostrate, 0.5–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, yellow or white or purple, 0.2–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.4–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve, 9–14 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5.5–6.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style c. 8.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae c. 0.2 mm across, stellae lateral rays 6–8, stellae central ray c. 1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, 17 mm diameter, orange, pedicels 23–28 mm long, pedicels 1–1.3 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 1.9–2.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
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’.