| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.5–1.3 m high. Large stems prickles present.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty. Branchlet prickles 1–18 per decimetre, straight, broad-based or curved, broad-based, 4–10 mm long, 5–7 times longer than wide, with stellate hairs only at base or with stellate hairs throughout lower part. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, lateral rays 7–9, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.8 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves orbicular, 2.7–6.2 cm long, 1.5–3.8 cm wide, 1.6–2.5 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–1.5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 2.5–10 cm long, 15–33% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very dense, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.2–0.9 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.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle present, rachis prickles absent, 2–5-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5 mm long, same thickness throughout, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 14 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5–6 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, 13–15 mm diameter, yellow, pedicels 5–8 mm long. Seeds pale yellow or brown, 2.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Northern Territory, Western Australia. Red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities, shrublands in arid zone.
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’.