Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.5–1.5 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 10–40 per decimetre; straight, acicular; 3–8 mm long; 8–13 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; 0.35–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.4–0.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped.
Leaves. Adult leaves linear; entire; lamina 4–7 cm long; lamina 0.3–0.6 cm wide; lamina 8.5–17 times longer than broad; apex obtuse, or acute; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–2 mm long; obliqueness index 0–3 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.2–0.3 cm long; 3–7 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green; prickles absent, or present on midvein only; prickles 0–6; prickles straight, acicular; prickles 1.5–7 mm long; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density sparse to moderate density. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.15–0.4 mm apart; 0.2–0.3 mm across; stalks 0 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; porrect; central ray 0.7–1.3 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; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae c. 0.05 mm apart; 0.4–0.5 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.15 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.4–0.8 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; sessile (contracted), or cymose (pseudo-racemose); common peduncle absent, or present; common peduncle 0–4 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 4–9-flowered; weakly andromonoecious. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–6 mm long; same thickness throughout; 0.4–0.6 mm thick at mid-point; prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 1–2 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae very dense; purple, or brown or rusty; 0.25–0.35 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 8–9; central ray 0.6–1.4 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white, or mauve; 7–11 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy. Anthers 4–5.5 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only, or with Type 2 hairs only. Functional style 8–9.5 mm long; erect; with Type 2 hairs only, or with stellate and Type 2 hairs; stellae 0.3–0.4 mm across; stellae lateral rays 5–7; stellae central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 1–4 per inflorescence; globular; 10–15 mm diameter; yellowish-green, or green, often streaked; 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta sessile, semi-circular; mesocarp juicy, succulent, or moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.3–0.4 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 5–9 mm long; 0.5–0.9 mm thick at mid-point. Seeds pale yellow; 3.5–4 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook, Leichhardt, Mitchell, South Kennedy, North Kennedy, Burke. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest, lancewood communities (dominated by Acacia catenulata, shirleyi, burrowii, etc.).
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
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’.