Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Prostrate. Rhizomatous perennial shrub. 0.15–0.3 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult branchlets rusty, or brown. Adult branchlets prickles 3–80 per decimetre; straight, acicular, or straight, broad-based; 1–5 mm long; 6–10 times longer than wide; glabrous. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae dense; 0.6–1.1 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.6 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 1–1.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped; thready. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves ovate, or broadly ovate; entire; lamina 3–8 cm long; lamina 1.7–4 cm wide; lamina 1.6–2.1 times longer than broad; apex acute; base cuneate or attenuate, or obtuse; oblique part 0–5 mm long; obliqueness index 0–12 percent. Adult leaves petioles 2.4–5.5 cm long; 65–115 % length of lamina; prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, or grey-green; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hair density moderate density to dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae 0.25–0.5 mm apart; 0.6–0.7 mm across; stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 6–8; porrect; central ray 1–1.8 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 yellowish; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense. Lower leaf surface stellae 0.15–0.3 mm apart; 0.6–0.8 mm diameter; stalks 0–0.2 mm long; lateral rays 7–8; lateral rays porrect; central ray 0.8–1.5 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 35–67 mm long; rachis prickles present; 3–4-flowered. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 4–6 mm long; same thickness throughout, or markedly thicker distally; 0.5–0.9 mm thick at mid-point; prickles present. Calyx tube at anthesis 2.5–3.5 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate; 1–2.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent, or present; 0 per flower, or 20–100 per flower; 1–1.5 mm long. Calyx stellae very dense; yellow; 0.5–0.9 mm across; stalks 0–1.5 mm long; lateral rays 5–8; central ray 1–1.8 times as long as laterals; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 7–10 mm long; rotate; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 3.5–4.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Functional style 6–6.5 mm long; erect; glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx hypanthium accrescent, enclosing most or all of mature fruit; prickles present; prickles 1–5 mm long. Mature fruits 1–2 per inflorescence; oblate; mesocarp moist but not juicy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 20–30 mm long; 0.9–1.2 mm thick at mid-point.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland. Cook, Burke. Shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Data source: specimens.
Illustrations. • type specimen.
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’.
