| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.8–1.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles 30–60 per decimetre, straight, broad-based or curved, broad-based, 1–12 mm long, 5–7 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs simple or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.3–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–12, lateral rays ascending or multiradiate, central ray 1.5–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Branchlet simple hairs erect, straight, gland-tipped, 0.2–0.4 mm long.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 8–12 cm long, 5.5–8.5 cm wide, 1.4–1.8 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 4–6 on each side, lobes acute, lobing index 2.5–11. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–5 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 2.1–4.6 cm long, 21–40% length of lamina, winged, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 9–30, prickles straight, broad-based, prickles 1–10 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, sparse to moderate density, 0.3–0.5 mm apart, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–6, lateral rays ascending, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse, gland-tipped, 0.2–0.3 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 7–20, prickles straight, broad-based. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs moderate, 0.3–0.6 mm apart, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays ascending, central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs erect, straight, sparse or moderate to dense, gland-tipped, 0.2–0.3 mm long. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 15–52 mm long, rachis prickles present, 4–11-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers all similar. Pedicels at anthesis 5–12 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 5–6.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 25–90 per flower, 1–7 mm long. Calyx stellae dense, transparent, 0.4–0.6 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–10, central ray 2–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped or gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs present. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white, 11–16 mm long, rotate or shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 8–10 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 15.5–17 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae c. 0.25 mm across, stellae lateral rays c. 6, stellae central ray 2–3 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2–10 mm long. Mature fruits 1–3 per inflorescence, globular, 15–20 mm diameter, red, interior juicy, succulent (symon), pedicels 17–25 mm long, pedicels 1.1–1.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.9–3.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia. Qld: Darling Downs. NSW: Central Coast. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Naturalised. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • ripe fruit. • calyx enclosing immature fruit. • flowers and leaves.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
