Citation: J. Black, Trans. R.Soc. S. Aust. 33:224 (1909).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Tomato-bush, felted (or western) nightshade.

Description:
Inflorescence a 2-6-flowered cyme; peduncle to 10 mm long, usually short; floral rhachis short; solitary pedicellate flowers occur, flowers 4- or 5-partite sometimes on the same plant; pedicels 1-1.5 cm long; calyx 6-8 mm long; corolla 2-3 cm diam., rotate-stellate, (almost square in 4-partite flowers) sometimes reflexed, interacuminal tissue well developed, not exceeding the petal tips, violet; filaments short; anthers 5-6 mm long, oblong, tapering, loosely erect to slightly divergent; ovary 1-1.5 mm long; style 8-10 mm long, erect, straight.

Fruiting pedicel 1-2 cm long, firming and lengthening, strongly deflexed; calyx appressed, slightly enlarged to cover the base of the fruit, lobes oblong-apiculate; fruit 0.8-1.5 cm diam., depressed-globular, often solitary or in a cluster of 2 or 3, young fruits may be viscid and bear a few stellate hairs towards the apex, minute glandular hairs may also be abundant, ripe fruit finally yellow to yellowish-brown, firm, scarcely succulent, not bony, often drying on the plant; seeds c. 3 mm long, pale to light-brown, minutely wrinkled on the surface, flattened, ovate to almost orbicular, in old and mature fruits seeds may have a brittle, glassy, resinous cover.

	Flowering and fruiting branch and a fruit.
Image source: fig. 574A in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 590.) An erect clonal small shrub 15-30 cm tall, stems usually lasting several years; prickles 2-5 mm long, straight or slightly recurved, usually present on stems, rarely on leaves or calyx, plants without prickles also occur; all parts pubescent with a dense tomentum of stellate hairs, general appearance grey or silvery, not rusty; leaves concolorous, 1-5 x 0.5-1 cm, oblong, often folded, slightly recurved along the midrib (particularly in dried specimens), apex obtuse, base cuneate to truncate; petiole 3-5 rarely to 10 mm long.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NW, LE, NU, GT, FR, EA, EP, NL, MU, YP.   all mainland States. Conservation status: native Flowering time: July — March.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: Not Applicable

Author: Not yet available