| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.15–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or brown. Branchlet prickles 5–30 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–8 mm long, 9–12 times longer than wide, glabrous or with scattered short glandular hairs on lower half. Branchlet hairs short glandular or simple or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate or dense, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet simple hairs erect, straight, not gland-tipped, 0.3–0.5 mm long, short glandular hairs dense.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or broadly ovate, 3.2–5 cm long, 2.2–3.5 cm wide, 1.3–1.9 times longer than broad, shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 2–4 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1.1–1.8. Leaf apex obtuse, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 1.6–4.2 cm long, 40–100% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 12–25, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 3–12 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse or moderate density, 0.3–0.8 mm apart, 0.3–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.25 mm long, lateral rays 4–9, lateral rays porrect or ascending or multiradiate, central ray 1.5–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent or erect, straight, sparse, not gland-tipped or gland-tipped, 0.2–0.8 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.02–0.05 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white, prickles present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 5–16, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate or dense, 0.2–0.4 mm apart, 0.5–0.9 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–12, lateral rays porrect or multiradiate, central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent or erect, straight, sparse, gland-tipped, 0.2–0.3 mm long. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent or present throughout, 0.03–0.1 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed or supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–16 mm long, rachis prickles present, 4–6-flowered. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 16–30 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 3.5–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 5–45 per flower, 3–6 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate or dense, transparent, 0.4–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 3–7, central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs present. Corolla purple, 11–17 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–4.6 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 5.5–7 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2–3 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, pedicels 15–28 mm long, pedicels 0.8 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales, Victoria. NSW: Central-west Slopes, North Western Plains, South Western Plains.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • young plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
