| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.15–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown. Branchlet prickles 10–45 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2.5–9 mm long, 10–16 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.25–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.7 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 1.2–2.6 cm long, 0.6–1.3 cm wide, 1.6–2.4 times longer than broad, shallowly lobed throughout or deeply lobed throughout, lobes 2–3 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1.5–3. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate, oblique part 0–1 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.15–0.45 cm long, 13–22% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein only, prickles 1–3, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–5 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very sparse to sparse, 0.3–1 mm apart, 0.1–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, 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 green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse to moderate, 0.4–0.7 mm apart, 0.25–0.4 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.5–1.2 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 or supra-axillary, solitary or sessile (rachis very short or absent), common peduncle absent or present, 1–2-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 9–15 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.4–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or rostrate, 2–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 18–50 per flower, 1.5–5 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate to dense, transparent, 0.2–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, central ray 0.5–1 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, shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 5.5–8.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2–5 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 15 mm diameter, interior moist but not juicy, pedicels 15–27 mm long, pedicels 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.7–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Kennedy South, Kennedy North. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • type specimen.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
