| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate. Stoloniferous perennial shrub. 0.1 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–10 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–7 mm long, 8–10 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.15–0.2 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 5–7.5 cm long, 2.7–4 cm wide, 1.5–2.2 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–3.5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 0.5–1.1 cm long, 7–20% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–3, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 2–5 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent or confined to midrib, absent from surface. 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. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.2–0.3 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–3 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 1–6-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–18 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.3–0.5 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic or deltate, 1–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae moderate, transparent, 0.15–0.25 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, central ray 0 times as long as laterals. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 7–12 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 5.5–7 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, globular, 10–12 mm diameter, red, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta sessile, semi-circular or sessile, elliptical, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.8–1 mm thick, pedicels 22–25 mm long, pedicels 0.8–1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.4–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Moreton. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • holotype.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
