| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.1–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles 10–50 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1–9 mm long, 10–16 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs short glandular or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.8–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent or sparse.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 3–5.5 cm long, 1.4–2.5 cm wide, 1.6–2.2 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 2–4 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 2.3–4. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–7 percent. Petioles 0.8–1.8 cm long, 8–18% length of lamina, winged, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 10–50, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 2–8 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, absent from surface or very sparse or sparse, 0.8–1.7 mm apart, 0.3–1.1 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 1–4, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 1–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse, not gland-tipped, 0.8–1.3 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.1–0.4 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green or yellowish, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 4–17, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs sparse to moderate, 0.2–1 mm apart, 0.7–1 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.05–0.2 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, solitary or sessile (rachis very short or absent), common peduncle absent, 1–3-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 3–6 mm long, same thickness throughout or markedly thicker distally, 0.4–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 20–35 per flower, 2.5–6 mm long. Calyx stellae very sparse to sparse to moderate, white, 0.7–1.1 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, central ray 1–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs present. Corolla white, 7–10 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3–4 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 4–4.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 15 mm diameter, green, often streaked, 2-locular, placenta sessile, semi-circular, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.8–1.3 mm thick, pedicels 12–18 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 3.9 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Leichhardt. Lancewood communities (dominated by Acacia catenulata, shirleyi, burrowii, etc.).
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • leaf surface. • whole plant. • flower. • colony of plants. • type specimen.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
