| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub or non-rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high. Large stems prickles absent.
Branchlets. Branchlets white or grey or yellow. Branchlet prickles absent. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, stalks 0–1.3 mm long, lateral rays 7–15, lateral rays ascending or multiradiate, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate or broadly ovate, 7.5–28 cm long, 3.5–11 cm wide, 2.1–3.3 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate. Petioles 1.2–4.6 cm long, 13–20% length of lamina, prickles absent. Axillary leaves present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse to dense, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays ascending, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white or white to grey or yellowish, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense or very dense, stalks 0–0.7 mm long, lateral rays 7–12, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.3 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 terminal, branched (paniculate to corymbose), common peduncle 30–150 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 25–100-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 20–30 mm long, prickles absent. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic or deltate, 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense or very dense, white, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 7–13 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 2.6 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 10–50 per inflorescence, globular, 10–15 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, conspicuously stellate hairy, pedicels 2.5–5 mm long. Seeds pale yellow, 1.8–2.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Burnett, Cook, Kennedy South, Kennedy North. NSW: North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, South-west Slopes. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Naturalised. Subg. Brevantherum. Common name: Wild Tobacco. Data source: Symon 1981, specimens.
Illustrations. • inflorescence. • leaves, stipules and inflorescence.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
