Solanum Species of Eastern Australia
| Solanum Species of Eastern Australia | |
Habit and juveniles. Erect. Rhizomatous perennial shrub, or non-rhizomatous perennial shrub. 1.5–4 m high. Juvenile stage unknown.
Branchlets. Adult stems prickles absent. Adult branchlets white, or grey, or yellow. Adult branchlets prickles absent. Adult branchlets hairs stellate. Adult branchlets stellae very dense; stalks 0–1.3 mm long; lateral rays 7–15; lateral rays ascending, or multiradiate; central ray not gland-tipped; thready. Adult branchlets Type 2 hairs absent.
Leaves. Adult leaves elliptical, or ovate, or broadly ovate; entire; lamina 7.5–28 cm long; lamina 3.5–11 cm wide; lamina 2.1–3.3 times longer than broad; apex acute; base cuneate or attenuate. Adult leaves petioles 1.2–4.6 cm long; 13–20 % length of lamina; prickles absent. Axillary leaves present.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface grey-green; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae present; stellate hair density sparse to dense. Upper leaf surface ordinary stellae stalks 0–0.1 mm long; lateral rays 4–8; ascending; central ray not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent. Upper leaf surface Type 2 hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface greenish-white, or white, or yellowish; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hair density dense, or very dense. Lower leaf surface stellae stalks 0–0.7 mm long; lateral rays 7–12; lateral rays porrect, or ascending; central ray 0.8–1.3 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 terminal; branched (paniculate to corymbose); common peduncle 30–150 mm long; rachis prickles absent; 25–100-flowered; with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 20–30 mm long; prickles absent. Calyx lobes at anthesis elliptic, or deltate; 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae dense, or very dense; white; central ray not gland-tipped. Calyx simple hairs absent. Calyx Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple; 7–13 mm long; deeply lobed; inner surface glabrous. Anthers 2.6 mm long. Ovary with stellate hairs only. Functional style erect; with stellate hairs only.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit; prickles absent. Mature fruits 10–50 per inflorescence; globular; 10–15 mm diameter; yellow, or yellowish-green; conspicuously stellate hairy. Pedicels at fruiting stage 2.5–5 mm long. Seeds pale yellow; 1.8–2.2 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. Moreton, Wide Bay, Cook, South Kennedy, North Kennedy. North Coast (NC), Central Coast (CC), South Coast (SC), South western slopes (SWS). Wet eucalypt forest with rainforest understorey, or rainforest margins, shrubby eucalypt woodland, remote from rainforest.
Miscellaneous. Naturalised. Common name: Wild Tobacco. Data source: Symon 1981, 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’.