| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate. Stoloniferous perennial shrub. 0–0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or rusty. Branchlet prickles 15–35 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 3–6 mm long, 10–14 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.25–0.35 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 4–9 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate or broadly ovate, 5.5–10 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, 1.4–2.9 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.6–1.5 cm long, 10–19% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–8, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 2–4 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, absent from surface or very sparse or sparse, 0.6–3 mm apart, 0.2–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 3–6 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 or rusty, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate to very dense, 0.05–0.3 mm apart, 0.3–0.4 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 3–5 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, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–3 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 1–4-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 11–28 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.6–0.8 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 4–7 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.3–0.4 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 2–5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 10–13 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–5.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 7.5–8 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.5–0.7 mm across, stellae lateral rays 8–9, stellae central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, 14–16 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.6–0.8 mm thick, pedicels 20–32 mm long, pedicels 0.6–0.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 3.5–4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Moreton. NSW: North Coast. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts).
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • fruit. • plant habit. • plant habit. • plant habit. • leaves and flower.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
