| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–2 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets white or brown. Branchlet prickles 25–45 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 4–10 mm long, 9–15 times longer than wide, with scattered short glandular hairs on lower half. Branchlet hairs short glandular or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, 0.5–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0–2 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs dense.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 4.5–9 cm long, 2.2–4.3 cm wide, 1.7–2.4 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.8–2 cm long, 17–25% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–2, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 5–9 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, moderate density to dense, 0.3–0.5 mm apart, 0.5–0.9 mm across, stalks 0–0.3 mm long, lateral rays 6–9, lateral rays porrect, central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.3–0.8 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense, 0.1–0.2 mm apart, 0.5–0.9 mm diameter, stalks 0–1.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 2–3 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, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 7–21 mm long, rachis prickles present, 5–9-flowered, with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 10–25 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles present. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 10–18. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 1–7 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 0. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 6–8 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–18 per flower, 1–7 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white or brown or rusty, 0.6–1.5 mm across, stalks 0.3–1.7 mm long, lateral rays 5–7, central ray 1–3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla white or mauve or purple, 9–20 mm long, rotate or shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4.5–7 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style 7–11 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate hairs only, stellae 0.5–0.9 mm across, stellae central ray 2–4 times as long as laterals. Stigma forked or expanded, obtuse or lobed.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles 1–7 mm long. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular or ellipsoidal or ovoid, 18–26 mm diameter, orange, conspicuously stellate hairy, 2-locular, placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 2.2–3 mm thick, pedicels 15–25 mm long, pedicels 1.1–1.6 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow or black, 2.8–3.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Burnett. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers. • plants. • flower and mature fruit. • flower buds.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
