| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.8–2.5 m high. Large stems prickles present.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown. Branchlet prickles absent or present, 0–10 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 6–10 mm long, 14–18 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs short glandular or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate to very dense, 0.3–0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.4 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs sparse.
Leaves. Leaves lanceolate or ovate, 2.5–13 cm long, 0.9–4.5 cm wide, 1.8–3.5 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 0.4–1.8 cm long, 8–16% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–3, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 6–9 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, absent from surface to sparse, 0.5–1.5 mm apart, 0.3–0.8 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1.5–5 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 absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense to very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.3–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.6 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1.5–4 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 sessile (rachis very short or absent) or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 1–2 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 1–5-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers or all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 8–15 mm long, same thickness throughout or markedly thicker distally, 0.4–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or rostrate, 0.5–3 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white, 0.25–0.4 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 1–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent or present. Corolla white or mauve or purple, 6–12 mm long, shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs. Functional style 5.5–8 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae 0.25–0.4 mm across, stellae lateral rays 6–7, stellae central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, globular, 6.5–9 mm diameter, red, glabrous or with a few scattered stellate hairs, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta not apparent, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.25–0.5 mm thick, pedicels 14–21 mm long, pedicels 0.6–0.7 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 1.9–2.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Burnett, Port Curtis, Kennedy North. NSW: North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Devil's Needles. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers. • flowering branch. • flowers and fruit. • flowers.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
