| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–0.6 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles 180–240 per decimetre, straight and acicular or straight, broad-based, 1–7 mm long, 6–9 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to dense, 0.3–1.3 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate or broadly ovate, 4–8 cm long, 2.1–4.2 cm wide, 1.5–1.9 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 3–4 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 9–50. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 1.3–2.9 cm long, 35–50% length of lamina, not winged or winged, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 9–35, prickles straight, broad-based, prickles 2–7 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse or moderate density, 0.3–0.8 mm apart, 0.6–0.9 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–6, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–1.7 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.1–0.2 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 10–20, prickles straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate to dense, 0.2–0.5 mm apart, 0.8–1.1 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–1.7 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.2–0.4 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 5–20 mm long, rachis prickles present, 5–10-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 3–6 mm long, markedly thicker distally, 0.5–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or attenuate, 4–5.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 100–250 per flower, 1–9 mm long. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.6–1.3 mm across, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, central ray 0.8–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs present. Corolla yellow, 9–15 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–7.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style c. 13 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx hypanthium accrescent, enclosing most or all of mature fruit, prickles 1–11 mm long. Mature fruits 4–8 per inflorescence, globular, 9–12 mm diameter, 2-locular, interior dry, pedicels 6–10 mm long, pedicels 1–1.2 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds black, 2–2.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Burnett. NSW: North Coast, Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North-west Slopes, Central-west Slopes, South-west Slopes, South Western Plains. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Naturalised. Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Buffalo Burr. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • line drawing.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
