| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.2–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets white or grey or brown. Branchlet prickles 1–5 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–3.5 mm long, 5–8 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense or very dense, 0.4–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.15 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–1.3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 6.5–20 cm long, 3.8–11.7 cm wide, 1.4–2 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–2 mm long, obliqueness index 0–2 percent. Petioles 3.2–8.4 cm long, 28–83% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, moderate density or dense, 0.1–0.25 mm apart, 0.3–0.4 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.2–0.7 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, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense or very dense, 0.05–0.2 mm apart, 0.5–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.15 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–0.8 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 30–35 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 3–6-flowered. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–11 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 2–6 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense or very dense, brown or rusty, 0.3–0.4 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 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 purple, 13–14 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.8–5.5 mm long. Filaments 1 mm long. Ovary with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 8.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx prickles absent.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Leichhardt. Grassland or open woodland on cracking clays.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • young vigorous plant. • senescent plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
