| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.2–0.4 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets green. Branchlet prickles 7–15 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 2–8 mm long, 10–15 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs sparse to moderate, 0.4–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.7–1.4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet simple hairs erect, straight.
Leaves. Leaves linear or narrow lanceolate or lanceolate or ovate, 4–7 cm long, 0.5–2.6 cm wide, 2.2–12 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout or deeply lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–3 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 1–5. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 0.5–1.3 cm long, 10–18% length of lamina, winged, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 3–15, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 1–4 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, very sparse to sparse, 0.8–2.5 mm apart, 0.3–1.1 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 3–5, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent or erect, straight, sparse, not gland-tipped, 0.6–1.2 mm long. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 1–15, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very sparse to moderate, 0.8–3 mm apart, 0.5–1 mm diameter, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–7, lateral rays porrect, central ray 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 leaf-opposed, solitary or sessile (rachis very short or absent), common peduncle absent, 1–2-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male or some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 21–38 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present, 5–40 per flower, 1–4 mm long. Calyx stellae very sparse to sparse to dense, transparent, 0.3–0.6 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 2–6, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 14–18 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 7.5–8.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2–4 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 10 mm diameter, pedicels 21–38 mm long, pedicels 1.5 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales. Qld: Darling Downs, Burnett. NSW: North-west Slopes. Semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, grassland or open woodland on cracking clays.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • leaves and flower. • plant. • bud and flower. • flower.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
