| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.2–0.5 m high. Large stems prickles absent.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown or green. Branchlet prickles absent. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.5–1 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.8 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray gland-tipped, thready.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 4–10 cm long, 2.2–5.5 cm wide, 1.4–1.9 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 3–5 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.2. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.8–2.3 cm long, 17–30% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, dense to very dense, 0.2–0.3 mm apart, 0.5–0.9 mm across, stalks 0–0.15 mm long, lateral rays 5–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray 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 dense to very dense, 0.1–0.25 mm apart, 0.8–1.3 mm diameter, stalks 0.1–0.5 mm long, lateral rays 5–11, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–2 times as long as laterals, central ray gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 4–21 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 3–7-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers or all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–12 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.7–1.2 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic, 2.5–9 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, transparent, 0.7–1 mm across, stalks 0–0.7 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 11–15 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–6 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 6–11 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae c. 0.5 mm across, stellae lateral rays c. 7, stellae central ray c. 1.5 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes exceeding mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, ellipsoidal or ovoid, 4.5–7 mm diameter, red, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta not apparent, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.2–0.3 mm thick, pedicels 7–15 mm long, pedicels 1.2–1.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.6–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Wide Bay, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Port Curtis. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • fruit. • flowering plant. • flowers. • colony of plants.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
