| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.3–0.8 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or rusty. Branchlet prickles 1–6 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 3–7 mm long, 7–9 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.25–0.4 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent or present, central ray 0–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready.
Leaves. Leaves narrow lanceolate or lanceolate, 7–10.5 cm long, 0.9–1.7 cm wide, 4.5–8.5 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse, oblique part 1–3.5 mm long, obliqueness index 1–4 percent. Petioles 0.7–2.2 cm long, 8–30% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–7, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–6 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent or present, very sparse to moderate density, 0.2–0.6 mm apart, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0–0.5 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 or yellowish, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–6, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.35–0.45 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.5–1 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 absent or present, common peduncle 0–5 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 3–8-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 11–20 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.7–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 3–5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–2 per flower, 1–4 mm long. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.3–0.45 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, 9–15 mm long, rotate, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 8–12 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.3–0.4 mm across, stellae lateral rays 8–20, stellae central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, globular, 14–17 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.5 mm thick, pedicels 16–20 mm long, pedicels 1.3–1.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds white or pale yellow, 2.6–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Burnett. NSW: North Coast. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • mature fruits. • flowering plant. • fruit.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
