| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–9 m high. Large stems prickles present.
Branchlets. Branchlets brown or green. Branchlet prickles absent (but large stems prickly). Branchlet hairs absent. Branchlet stellate hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves elliptical or ovate, 5–18.5 cm long, 2–6.5 cm wide, 2.1–2.9 times longer than broad, entire. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, oblique part 0–8 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Petioles 1.2–3.8 cm long, 15–30% length of lamina, prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent or confined to midrib, 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 supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose) or branched (paniculate to corymbose), common peduncle 12–23 mm long, rachis prickles absent, 12–60-flowered, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–13 mm long, markedly thicker distally, 0.4–0.7 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–2 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic or deltate, 0.5–1.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very sparse to sparse, white, 0.2–0.3 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 4–8, 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 white or mauve or purple, 6–11 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy or densely stellate-hairy. Anthers 3.5–5 mm long. Ovary with short glandular hairs only. Functional style 4.5–5.5 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous or with stellate and short glandular hairs, stellae c. 0.3 mm across, stellae lateral rays 4–6, stellae central ray 1.5–2 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 3–13 per inflorescence, globular, 5.5–7.5 mm diameter, red, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete), placenta not apparent, interior juicy, succulent, pericarp 0.1–0.3 mm thick, pedicels 11–17 mm long, pedicels 0.6–0.8 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow, 2–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Qld: Cook, Port Curtis, Kennedy South, Kennedy North. Evergreen notophyll rainforest (no eucalypts), wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • flowering plant.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
