| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter. 0.2–0.5 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or yellow. Branchlet prickles 1–20 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 3–10 mm long, 7–15 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–9, lateral rays porrect, central ray absent or present, central ray 0–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped, rigid.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 3–7 cm long, 1.1–3.2 cm wide, 2.2–3.2 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 0.4–2.2 cm long, 11–30% 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 5–11 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, absent from surface or very sparse or sparse, 0.4–1.6 mm apart, 0.25–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.6–1.2 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent or present throughout, 0.1–0.5 mm apart.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white to grey or yellowish, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense or very dense, c. 0.1 mm apart, 0.4–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–9, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.7–1.2 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 or supra-axillary, solitary or cymose (pseudo-racemose), common peduncle 3–11 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 1–3-flowered, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–12 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.8–1.3 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 1–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense or very dense, yellow, 0.25–0.4 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, central ray 0.7–1.3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla mauve or purple, 8–15 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy or densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 5–7 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 8.5–12.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae 0.1–0.2 mm across, stellae lateral rays c. 6, stellae central ray c. 1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 12–17 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 4-locular, placenta sessile, semi-circular or stalked, anvil-shaped, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 0.6–1.1 mm thick, pedicels 8–14 mm long, pedicels 0.8–1.3 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow or black, 2.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Moreton, Darling Downs, Burnett. Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow/belah, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flower and fruits. • fruit.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
