| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.2–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow or brown or green. Branchlet prickles 140–320 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–6 mm long, 13–20 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.3–0.45 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 5–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.7 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves broadly ovate or orbicular, 6.5–9.5 cm long, 3.4–6 cm wide, 1.1–2.1 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–3 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.1. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–6 mm long, obliqueness index 0–6 percent. Petioles 1.2–1.7 cm long, 13–35% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 100–400, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–6 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very sparse to sparse, 0.8–2.5 mm apart, 0.25–0.45 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 3–7, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.6 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 green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 40–250, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse to dense, 0.3–1.4 mm apart, 0.5–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, 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 17–27 mm long, rachis prickles present, 6–10-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 8–14 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.8 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 3–6 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 36–50 per flower, 1.5–4 mm long. Calyx stellae moderate to dense, transparent, 0.4–0.5 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white or mauve, 13–18 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 6.5–8.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 11–14 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae 0.2–0.4 mm across, stellae lateral rays 6–8, stellae central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1.5–4 mm long. Mature fruits 1–6 per inflorescence, globular, 16–21 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta sessile, elliptical, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.4–0.5 mm thick, pedicels 18–28 mm long, pedicels 1.4–2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 3.3–3.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook, Kennedy North. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • plant. • flowers.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
