| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.8–2 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–5 per decimetre, straight, broad-based, 0.5–6 mm long, 4–7 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.3–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.7 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid.
Leaves. Leaves lanceolate or ovate, 4.5–16.5 cm long, 1.3–6.5 cm wide, 2.1–4.5 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 0.3–2.5 cm long, 7–30% 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, moderate density to dense, 0.1–0.2 mm apart, 0.15–0.25 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–10, lateral rays ascending, 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, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.2–0.6 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, sessile (rachis very short or absent) or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–5 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 2–7-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–9 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.8 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 1–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense to very dense, yellow, 0.25–0.4 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, 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 purple, 9–13 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 8–9 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only or with short glandular hairs only, stellae c. 0.3 mm across, stellae lateral rays 5–6, stellae central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, 16 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 2-locular, placenta sessile, linear, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 2 mm thick, pedicels 7–10 mm long, pedicels 0.8–1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.3–2.8 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • immature fruits. • flowering branchlet.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
