| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.1–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets terete or ridged. Branchlets grey or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–100 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–4 mm long, 8–12 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.7–0.9 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 8–12, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready.
Leaves. Leaves linear or narrow lanceolate or lanceolate, 3–10 cm long, 0.7–1.4 cm wide, 3.8–14 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 3–5 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.1. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0–2 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.4–1.4 cm long, 13–20% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green or grey, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent or present, moderate density to very dense, 0.05–0.4 mm apart, 0.4–0.7 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–12, 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 absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.05–0.4 mm apart, 0.5–0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8–14, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–1 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 14–36 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 3–6-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–9 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.6–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis rostrate or attenuate, 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–3 per flower, 0.5–1 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white or brown or rusty, 0.5–0.7 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–9, central ray 0.3–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 8–13 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–5 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with stellate hairs only. Functional style 6–7 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.5–0.7 mm across, stellae lateral rays 6–8, stellae central ray 0.7–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent or present, prickles 1–1.5 mm long. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, globular or ellipsoidal or ovoid, 12–15 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, glabrous or with a few scattered stellate hairs, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 1–1.3 mm thick, pedicels 7–20 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1.1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 3–4.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Northern Territory, Western Australia. Qld: Darling Downs, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Warrego, Port Curtis, Mitchell, Gregory South, Gregory North, Kennedy South, Kennedy North, Burke. NSW: North-west Slopes, Central-west Slopes, South-west Slopes, North Western Plains, South Western Plains, North Far Western Plains, South Far Western Plains. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, grassland or open woodland on cracking clays, shrublands in arid zone.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Quena. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • whole plant. • colony of flowering plants. • plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
