| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Annual. 0.25–0.5 m high. Large stems prickles absent.
Branchlets. Branchlets ridged. Branchlet prickles absent. Branchlet hairs short glandular or simple. Branchlet stellate hairs absent. Branchlet simple hairs antrorse, curved or erect, straight, not gland-tipped or gland-tipped, 0.2–1 mm long, short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate, 2.5–7 cm long, 1.2–3.5 cm wide, shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 3–6 on each side, lobes obtuse. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate. Petioles 0.5–2.5 cm long, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent, protostellae absent, absent from surface. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight or antrorse, curved, sparse, gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent or present throughout.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs absent. Lower leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight or antrorse, curved, sparse or moderate to dense, gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent or present throughout.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose) or almost umbellate but 1–2 fls/frt separate, common peduncle 5–15 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 3–8-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–10 mm long, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1–2 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae absent. Calyx simple hairs present. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 3–6 mm long, rotate or shallowly lobed. Anthers 1.5–2.3 mm long. Functional style 3.2–4 mm long, protruding between anthers, with simple hairs.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit or lobes exceeding mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 2–7 per inflorescence, globular, 6–9 mm diameter, brown or green, often streaked. Seeds pale yellow or black, 1.6–2.4 mm long. Stone-cell granules present (two in number).
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs. NSW: Central Coast, Central Tablelands, Central-west Slopes.
Classification. Naturalised. Sect. Solanum. Common name: Cherry Nightshade. Data source: Fl of Vic, Fl of SEQ, Fl of NZ, Edmonds & Chweya 1997.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.