| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.2–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles 15–40 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–6 mm long, 10–13 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs short glandular or absent. Branchlet stellate hairs absent. Branchlet short glandular hairs sparse.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 4–9 cm long, 2.6–6.5 cm wide, 1.4–1.8 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 4–6 on each side, lobes acute, lobing index 4–27. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0–4 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 2.1–3.4 cm long, 25–60% length of lamina, winged, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 20–50, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 0.5–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent, absent from surface. 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 30–150, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs absent. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 24–33 mm long, rachis prickles present, 3–5-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–23 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 2.5–6 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 12–40 per flower, 1–5 mm long. Calyx stellae absent. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs present. Corolla purple, 7–11 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–5 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 4.5–6 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1–6 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, interior moist but not juicy, pedicels 28–37 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1.3 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Darling Downs. NSW: North-west Slopes, North Western Plains. Grassland or open woodland on cracking clays.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers. • healthy plant. • flowers. • flowers.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
