Group characteristics

Erect or sprawling shrubs, with entire or shallowly lobed adult leaves. Stem prickles and branchlet prickles straight, widened or not at base. Stellate hairs present in all parts. Inflorescences not branched. Flowers all bisexual or mixed bisexual and male and all of similar size and prickliness, (4-)5-merous, white, mauve or purple. Calyx usually without prickles. Corolla lobes glabrous on inner face. Stamens with anthers all of similar size. Ovary glabrous, with multicellular glandular hairs only, with stellate hairs only, with mixed glandular and stellate hairs or with glandular papillae. Mature fruits green, yellowish green or brown, mesocarp moist not juicy, 2-locular, 8-15 mm diameter; calyx lobes usually less than, rarely more than, half length of mature fruit.

Distribution

14 species endemic in Australia.

Australian members of group

Members of the S. esuriale group of Solanum subg. Leptostemonum (Bean 2004).

S. ammophilum

S. coactiliferum

S. elachophyllum

*S. elaeagnifolium

S. esuriale

S. hesperium

S. karsense

S. nummularium

S. oldfieldii

S. oligacanthum

S. orbiculatum

S. plicatile

S. sturtianum

S. versicolor

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.