| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Herbaceous resprouter or rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets mauve to purple or yellow or rusty or brown. Branchlet prickles 9–40 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 3–8 mm long, 12–16 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet stellate hairs very dense, 0.4–0.7 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8–10, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.4–0.8 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 2.2–3.5 cm long, 1.4–2.1 cm wide, 1.6–1.7 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base obtuse, oblique part 0–2 mm long, obliqueness index 0–9 percent. Petioles 1.4–2.7 cm long, 58–77% length of lamina, prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, dense, 0.15–0.2 mm apart, 0.4–0.5 mm across, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8, central ray 0.6–0.9 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, prickles absent or present on midvein only, prickles 0–3, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense or very dense, 0.05–0.1 mm apart, 0.4–0.55 mm diameter, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8–9, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.4–1 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 3–10 mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 1–2-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 6–13 mm long, same thickness throughout, 0.5–0.6 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate, 1.5–2 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present, 0–4 per flower, 1–4 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense, yellow or white or purple, 0.3–0.5 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 7–8, central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 7–10 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.7–4.6 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 7.5–9 mm long, protruding between anthers or erect near base, then bent towards apex, glabrous. Stigma expanded, obtuse or lobed.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit or lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent or present, prickles 2–4 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence, globular, 11–13 mm diameter, yellowish-green, 2-locular, placenta sessile, semi-circular or sessile, elliptical, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.2–0.5 mm thick, pedicels 12–20 mm long, pedicels 0.9–1 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2.5–2.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Mitchell, Gregory South.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowers and fruit. • habit. • flower.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
