| | Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia |
Habit. Prostrate or sprawling. Rhizomatous perennial shrub or non-rhizomatous perennial shrub or perennial vine. Large stems prickles absent.
Branchlets. Branchlet prickles absent. Branchlet hairs simple or absent. Branchlet stellate hairs absent. Branchlet simple hairs absent or antrorse, curved or erect, straight, not gland-tipped, short glandular hairs absent.
Leaves. Leaves ovate or triangular or broadly ovate, 4–12 cm long, 2–8 cm wide, entire or with basal lobes only, lobes 0–1 on each side. Leaf apex acute or acuminate, base obtuse or cordate. Petioles prickles absent.
Upper leaf surface. Upper leaf surface green, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface stellate hairs absent, protostellae absent, absent from surface. Upper leaf surface simple hairs absent or antrorse, curved, sparse or moderate to dense, not gland-tipped. Upper leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Lower leaf surface. Lower leaf surface green, prickles absent. Lower leaf surface stellate hairs absent. Lower leaf surface simple hairs absent or antrorse, curved, not gland-tipped. Lower leaf surface short glandular hairs absent.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence leaf-opposed, cymose (pseudo-racemose) or branched (paniculate to corymbose), rachis prickles absent, with all flowers bisexual. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 5–8 mm long, prickles absent. Calyx lobes at anthesis hemispherical or deltate, 0.5–1 mm long. Calyx prickles at anthesis absent. Calyx stellae absent. Calyx short glandular hairs absent. Corolla purple, 5–8 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous. Anthers 4–5 mm long (anthers connivent). Ovary glabrous. Functional style 5–7 mm long, protruding between anthers, glabrous.
Fruits. Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits globular or ellipsoidal or ovoid, 6–9 mm diameter, red, shiny. Seeds pale yellow, 2–3 mm long.
Distribution and habitat. Tasmania.
Classification. Naturalised. Subg. Potatoe. Common name: Bittersweet. Data source: Symon 1981.
Illustrations. • dulcamara_fruits.jpg. • fruits. • flowering plant. • line drawing.
Cite this publication as: ‘Bean, A.R. 2012 onwards. Solanum species of eastern and northern Australia. Version: 25th January 2023. delta-intkey.com’.
