| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–0.45 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 90–400 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–7 mm long, 13–18 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, stalks 0–2 mm long, lateral rays 8–13, lateral rays porrect or multiradiate, central ray 1.1–2.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 3.6–10.1 cm long, 1.5–5.3 cm wide, 1.9–3.8 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–6 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 1.3–6 cm long, 33–60% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green or grey, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 3–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, dense, stalks 0–2 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 1.2–2 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 or present on midvein only, prickles 0–4, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, lateral rays 8–15, lateral rays porrect or multiradiate, central ray 1.2–2 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 supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 20–52 mm long, rachis prickles present, 3–7-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–16 mm long, same thickness throughout, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 5–11 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 25–50 per flower, 2–4 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white or purple, lateral rays 8–13, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 14–20 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.7–6 mm long. Filaments 1–1.2 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 9–13 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2.5–4 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular or ellipsoidal or ovoid, 18–21 mm diameter, green, often streaked or white, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.3–0.8 mm thick, pedicels 12–25 mm long. Seeds white or pale yellow, 2.8–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory. Qld: Gregory South. NSW: North Far Western Plains. Red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities, shrublands in arid zone.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • buds and flower. • flowering branch. • 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’.
