| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–3 m high. Large stems bark furrowed, corky throughout.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–15 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 4–10 mm long, 9–12 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.4–0.9 mm diameter, stalks 0.1–0.6 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid.
Leaves. Leaves ovate, 3–11.5 cm long, 1.1–4.5 cm wide, 2.1–2.7 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–7 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 0.5–1.3 cm long, 8–18% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 5–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse to moderate density, 0.4–0.7 mm apart, 0.4–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse or moderate to dense, not gland-tipped, 0.1–0.3 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface yellowish or rusty, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense, 0.1–0.3 mm apart, 0.6–1 mm diameter, stalks 0.1–0.7 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 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 leaf-opposed, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 9–12 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 5–8-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 2–8 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 2–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.5–0.8 mm across, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs present. Corolla mauve or purple, 9–17 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4.5–7 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 8.5–10 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with stellate hairs only, stellae c. 0.4 mm across, stellae lateral rays c. 4, stellae central ray c. 2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, oblate or globular, 15–21 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 2–2.6 mm thick, pedicels 4–8 mm long, pedicels 0.6–0.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Burnett, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Port Curtis, Kennedy South, Kennedy North. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • mature fruit. • bark. • upper leaf surface.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
