Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Sprawling, or erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–0.7 m high. Juvenile leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; lamina 5–9.5 cm long; lamina 4–9 cm wide.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets grey, or mauve. Adult branchlets prickles 15–60 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 3–10 mm long; 11–16 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense to very dense; 0.35–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 8–14; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; deeply lobed throughout; lobes 3–5 on each side; lobes acute, or obtuse; lobing index 2.7–5; lamina 5.5–12.5 cm long; lamina 3.5–5.5 cm wide; lamina 1.4–2.5 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–12 mm long; obliqueness index 0–12 percent. Adult leaves petioles 1.7–3.3 cm long; 20–50 % length of lamina; prickles present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 13–65; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 2–10 mm long; stellate hairs confined to midrib, or distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density very sparse to sparse. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.9–2.5 mm apart; 0.2–0.4 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; porrect; central ray 1–2 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface white, or yellowish; prickles present on midvein and lateral veins; prickles 20–45; prickles straight, acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.4–0.7 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.5–1.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent. Lower leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence supra-axillary; cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–18 mm long; rachis prickles present; 3–6-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 7–16 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.8–1 mm thick at mid-point; prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.8 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis attenuate; 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis present; 20–65 per flower; 1–7 mm long. Calyx stellae dense; transparent, or purple; 0.4–0.5 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–11; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 11–15 mm long; rotate; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 6–10 mm long; erect; with stellate hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles 2–7 mm long. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; globular; 17–28 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; glabrous, or with a few scattered stellate hairs; 2-locular; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 2–4.5 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 15–27 mm long; 1.2–1.4 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds brown to black; 2.9–3.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. Darling Downs. North Coast (NC), Central Coast (CC), Central Tablelands (CT), Southern Tablelands (ST), North-western slopes (NWS), Central western slopes (CWS), South western slopes (SWS). Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Naturalised, or native (naturalised in Victoria). Common name: Narrawa Burr. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • immature fruit.
The interactive key provides access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, and summaries of attributes within groups of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2005 onwards. Solanum species of Eastern Australia. Version: 8th October 2006. http://delta-intkey.com’.
