| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Non-rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1–2 m high. Large stems prickles absent.
Branchlets. Branchlets ridged. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles absent. Branchlet hairs absent. Branchlet stellate hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves narrow lanceolate or lanceolate or elliptical or ovate or broadly ovate, 15–30 cm long, 2–15 cm wide, entire or shallowly lobed throughout or deeply lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 2–4 on each side, lobes acute, lobing index 1–20. Leaf apex acute, base cuneate. Petioles 0.5–5 cm long, winged, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent, absent from surface. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs absent. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed, cymose (pseudo-racemose) or branched (paniculate to corymbose), common peduncle absent, rachis prickles absent, 5–20-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 20–25 mm long, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 3–4 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis hemispherical or deltate, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae absent. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 15–25 mm long, rotate, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3–4 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 7–10 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 5–20 per inflorescence, globular or ellipsoidal or ovoid, 20–25 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, pedicels 30–50 mm long. Seeds 2.5–3 mm long. Stone-cell granules present.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania. Qld: Moreton, Wide Bay, Burnett. NSW: Central Coast, South Coast, Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North-west Slopes, Central-west Slopes, North Western Plains. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Archaesolanum. Common name: Kangaroo Apple. Data source: Symon 1994.
Illustrations. • decurrent leaf bases. • fruits (probably mature).
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
