Group characteristics

Plants herbaceous or shrubby usually with entire adult leaves. Stem prickles and branchlet prickles straight, not widened at base. Stellate hairs present, usually dense in all parts, including upper leaf surface. Inflorescences not branched. Flowers mixed bisexual and male, all of similar size and prickliness, 5-merous, white, mauve or purple. Calyx with prickles. Corolla lobes with or without hairs on inner face. Stamens with anthers all of similar size. Ovary glabrous or with multicellular glandular hairs only. Mature fruits green to yellow-green, mesocarp moist not juicy, 1-2-locular, 9-20 mm diameter; calyx lobes about half length of mature fruit.

Distribution

10 species endemic in Australia.

Australian members of group

Members of the S. ellipticum group of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum (Bean 2004).

S. angustum

S. argopetalum

S. crebrispinum

S. crassitomentosum

S. dianthophorum

S. ellipticum

S. horridum

S. quadriloculatum

S. senticosum

S. terraneum

See Bean, A.R. (2004). The taxonomy and ecology of Solanum subg. Leptostemonum (Dunal)Bitter (Solanaceae) in Queensland and far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Austrobaileya 6: 639-816.