| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.9–2.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 2–15 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 5–11 mm long, 8–14 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs short glandular or stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense or very dense, 0.6–1 mm diameter, stalks 0.2–1.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.7–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, thready. Branchlet short glandular hairs dense.
Leaves. Leaves ovate, 6.5–12.3 cm long, 2.3–5.8 cm wide, 2.1–2.8 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute, base obtuse or cordate, oblique part 0–4 mm long, obliqueness index 0–5 percent. Petioles 0.8–3.1 cm long, 12–27% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent or present on midvein only or present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 0–7, prickles straight and acicular, prickles 8–12 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae present, sparse or moderate density, 0.2–0.6 mm apart, 0.4–0.7 mm across, stalks 0.1–0.8 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, lateral rays porrect or ascending, central ray 0.8–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.05–0.1 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white or white to grey, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–3, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense or very dense, 0.1–0.25 mm apart, 0.6–1.2 mm diameter, stalks 0.2–1.2 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.7–1.3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs present throughout, 0.05–0.2 mm apart.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle absent or present, common peduncle 0–7 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 7–11-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 10–13 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.9 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–5 per flower. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or brown or rusty, 0.6–0.7 mm across, stalks 0.1–0.5 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.8–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Corolla purple, 14 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–4.3 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 8 mm long, protruding between anthers, with short glandular hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent or present, prickles 7 mm long. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence, globular, 14–19 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta stalked, anvil-shaped, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.7–1.1 mm thick, pedicels 19–22 mm long, pedicels 1.1–1.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.2–2.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. New South Wales. NSW: North Coast. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.