| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.6–1.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or brown or green. Branchlet prickles 1–20 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 4–7 mm long, 8–18 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.3–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.2 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.1–0.8 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves linear or narrow lanceolate, 7.5–13.5 cm long, 1.3–3.5 cm wide, 3.3–7 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–2 mm long, obliqueness index 0–3 percent. Petioles 0.7–1.3 cm long, 7–13% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, absent from surface or very sparse to sparse, 0.3–3 mm apart, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.7–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.1–1.5 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white to grey, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.3–1 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 absent or present, common peduncle 0–6 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 2–6-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 14–24 mm long, markedly thicker distally, 0.4–0.8 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense to very dense, yellow or brown or rusty, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.5–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 9–15 mm long, rotate or shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–6.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous or with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 7–9 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae c. 0.4 mm across, stellae central ray c. 0.5 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 5–7 mm diameter, red, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta not apparent, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.3 mm thick, pedicels 26–33 mm long, pedicels 0.5–1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2–2.4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook, Kennedy North. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah.
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’.
