| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–25 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1.5–5.5 mm long, 7–10 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.2–0.3 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 3–6 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 9–18 cm long, 4–8 cm wide, 2.2–2.7 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 4–6 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.1. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, oblique part 0–4.5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–3 percent. Petioles 1–3.5 cm long, 8–19% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–10, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–4 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, protostellae absent, absent from surface or very sparse to sparse, 0.25–1 mm apart, 0.2–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 4–8 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 yellowish, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate to very dense, 0.05–0.3 mm apart, 0.25–0.4 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1.5–3 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 2–8 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 6–18-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–10 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.4–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 3–4 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or brown or rusty, 0.25–0.35 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 3–6 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 6–11 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style c. 6 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.25–0.3 mm across, stellae lateral rays c. 8, stellae central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 20–27 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 4.5–6 mm thick, pedicels 19–23 mm long, pedicels 1.2–2.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.7–3.1 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook, Kennedy North. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.