| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.1–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets white or grey or yellow. Branchlet prickles 200–400 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–8 mm long, 10–13 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate, 5.4–13.3 cm long, 1.9–6.5 cm wide, 1.7–2.8 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 3–4 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.1. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 4–13 mm long, obliqueness index 6–15 percent. Petioles 1.5–5.2 cm long, 24–49% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, moderate density or dense, 0.15–0.5 mm apart, 0.4–0.5 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.2 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, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, 0.05 mm apart, 0.5–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.15 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.2 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 22–58 mm long, rachis prickles present, 6–11-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–14 mm long, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1–2 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 60–80 per flower, 0.5–6.5 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white, 0.35–0.5 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 12–16 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.7–5.7 mm long. Filaments 2–2.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 9.5–10.5 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx hypanthium accrescent, enclosing most or all of mature fruit, prickles 2–10 mm long. Mature fruits 3–7 per inflorescence, oblate or globular, 14 mm diameter, green, often streaked, 2-locular or 4-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.7–1 mm thick, pedicels 9–18 mm long, pedicels 0.8–1.1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds brown, 1.8–1.9 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia. Qld: Burke.
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’.