| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.4–0.6 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets yellow or brown or green. Branchlet prickles 40–120 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 1.5–6 mm long, 15 times longer than wide, glabrous or with stellate hairs only at base. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs dense, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7–10, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.8–1.3 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Branchlet short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves lanceolate or elliptical, 12–16 cm long, 2–6 cm wide, 3.4–4.3 times longer than broad, entire or shallowly lobed throughout, lobes 0 on each side or 6–8 on each side, lobes obtuse, lobing index 1–1.1. Leaf apex obtuse, base cuneate, oblique part 0–9 mm long, obliqueness index 0–11 percent. Petioles 3–3.5 cm long, 13–18% length of lamina, prickles absent or present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs distributed throughout, protostellae absent, moderate density or dense, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–1.5 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 green or greenish-white, prickles absent or present on midvein only. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs dense, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 0.9–1.5 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 2–5(–20) mm long, rachis prickles absent or present, 3–7-flowered (male), with one bisexual flower, the rest male. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Pedicels at anthesis 15–16 mm long (male), prickles absent or present. Pedicels with indument prominent on distal end and glabrous on proximal end. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 24–28. Calyx prickles on basal bisexual flowers 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 0–25. Calyx prickles on distal male flowers 3–4 mm long. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate or rostrate or attenuate, 7–8 mm long (male). Calyx prickles at anthesis absent or present. Calyx stellae moderate or dense, white, stalks 0–0.1 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, central ray 0.9–1.5 times as long as laterals, central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 12–23 mm long (males), rotate or shallowly lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 5–8.5 mm long. Filaments 1–1.8 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 11–12 mm long, strongly bent near base, not touching anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes more than half length of mature fruit. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, ellipsoidal or ovoid, 15–22 mm diameter, yellow or yellowish-green, 2-locular, interior dry, pericarp 0.5 mm thick, firmly attached, leaving beaked appendage on calyx, pedicels 35–45 mm long, pedicels 2–2.5 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds brown or black, 2.5–3.5 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Northern Territory. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Subg. Leptostemonum. Data source: specimens, protologue.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.