| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Sprawling or erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.3–0.7 m high.
Branchlets. Branchlets grey or mauve to purple. Branchlet prickles 15–60 per decimetre, straight and acicular, 3–10 mm long, 11–16 times longer than wide, glabrous. Branchlet hairs stellate. Branchlet stellate hairs 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. Leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 5.5–12.5 cm long, 3.5–5.5 cm wide, 1.4–2.5 times longer than broad, deeply lobed throughout, lobes 3–5 on each side, lobes acute or obtuse, lobing index 2.7–5. Leaf apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0–12 mm long, obliqueness index 0–12 percent. 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 and acicular, prickles 2–10 mm long. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs confined to midrib or distributed throughout, protostellae absent, very sparse to sparse, 0.9–2.5 mm apart, 0.2–0.4 mm across, stalks 0 mm long, lateral rays 6–8, lateral rays porrect, central ray 1–2 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 or yellowish, prickles present on midvein and lateral veins, prickles 20–45, prickles straight and acicular. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs very dense, 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 short glandular 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, with some bisexual and some male flowers. Flowers 5-merous. Flowers all similar. 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 short glandular 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, protruding between anthers, 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, interior moist but not juicy, pericarp 2–4.5 mm thick, pedicels 15–27 mm long, pedicels 1.2–1.4 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds black, 2.9–3.7 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. Qld: Darling Downs. NSW: North Coast, Central Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, North-west Slopes, Central-west Slopes, South-west Slopes. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Classification. Naturalised (Vic and SA), or native (Qld and NSW). Subg. Leptostemonum. Common name: Narrawa Burr. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • immature fruit.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
