| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.2–0.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets terete or ridged. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 240–700 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–8 mm long, 11–20 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs throughout lower part. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.5–1 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.8 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 5.5–14.5 cm long, 2.5–7 cm wide, 1.7–2.3 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–6 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 0.8–4.8 cm long, 15–60% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–10, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 2–5 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, dense to very dense, 0.05–0.2 mm apart, 0.6–1.2 mm across, stalks 0–1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.2 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 or yellowish, prickles present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 3–20, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.7–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0–1.6 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.2 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 23–60 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 9–15-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–11 mm long, same thickness throughout, 1–1.2 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 1.5–4.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 5–40 per flower, 1–3 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white, 0.5–0.9 mm across, stalks 0–1.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, 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 mauve or purple, 9–15 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous or with simple hairs. Anthers 5.5–6.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 9–10.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous. Stigma unexpanded.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1–3 mm long. Mature fruits 1–7 per inflorescence, globular, 14–17 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 4-locular, pedicels 11–17 mm long, pedicels 1.1–1.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.3–2.9 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia. Qld: Gregory North, Burke. Red earths in mulga (Acacia aneura) dominated communities, shrublands in arid zone.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowering plant. • flowers. • flowering plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
