The BRI type sheet of S. coracinum, Henderson 2381, from the Miles area. Reproduced from Austrobaileya 4: 430 (1995).

Part of the BRI type sheet.

Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium .

Synonymy

Solanum coracinum Symon, Austrobaileya 4: 429–431 (1995)

T: Darling Downs District, 26º37’S, 149º23’E, c. 22 km E of Yuleba, on road to Miles, Qld, 17 Nov. 1975, R. J. Henderson 2381; holo: BRI; iso: AD.

Solanum sp. 3, Fl. S. E. Qld 418 (1986) p.p.

Solanum sp. (Miles R.W.Johnson 1630), Qld herbarium name.

Description

Erect, weakly branched shrub to 1.5 m tall. Prickles dense, crowded on main stems, abundant on upper and lower leaf surfaces, straight, erect, acicular, to 1 cm long, often reddish. Indumentum of sparse, minute, stellate hairs, the central ray equal to the lateral rays and minute sub-papillate glandular hairs, usually present on young growing tips, or absent.

Leaf lamina broadly elliptic in outline but deeply lobed with 3 or 4 lobes on each side, up to 8 cm long and 6 cm wide; lobes 1–2.5 cm long, 5–7 mm wide, the longer ones with broadly triangular secondary lobes 1–2 mm long; sinuses rounded; lobe apices acute; leaf apex acute; base often oblique.

Inflorescence a cyme 5–8 cm long, unbranched, bearing c. 4–25 flowers, densely prickly in the lower half, pedicel c. 5 mm, slender, unarmed; calyx c. 3 mm long, with lobes lanceolate, apiculate, unarmed; corolla c. 8 mm long, divided about halfway into 5 triangular lobes, purple (2 records) or mauve (1 record); filaments c. 1 mm; anthers c. 5 mm long, tapered upwards, poricidal; ovary c. 1 mm long, glabrous; style c. 6 mm long, straight, erect, glabrous; stigma small, capitate.

Fruiting pedicel c. 1 cm long, slightly thickened distally, calyx lobes little enlarged in fruit; berry 7–8 mm diameter (dried material only), glossy black when mature (1 record). Seeds flattened irregularly discoid to bluntly triangular in outline, 2.5–3 mm wide, minutely reticulate, 36 and 48 in two fruits examined. 2n = 24.

A more detailed description of this species can be seen in the Bean interactive key to eastern Australian species of Solanum at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/coracinu.htm< /A >

Distribution and ecology

South-eastern Qld with most collections from Giligulgul, Yuleba and Condamine with outliers near Millmerran and Texas, to the south east, on dark clay soil, forest loam or shallow soil on stony ridges.

Relationships

This species is closely related to S. semiarmatum and S. dissectum. From the former, it differs in the leaves being almost glabrous below and with much greater degree of lobing, the simple cymes and possibly darker coloured fruits (red vs. black).

Previously distinguished in the Queensland Herbarium as Solanum sp. (Miles, R.W.Johnson 1630).

Bean (2004) gives its closest relationship as S. mitchellianum Domin, a species previously not recognised as distinct from S. semiarmatum. S. mitchellianum is found in areas adjacent to that of S. coracinum and there is evidence of some intergradation, but the two can be distinguished by the less pubescent stems and leaf undersurfaces and the deeply lobes leaves of S. coracinum.

S. mitchellianum, S. coracinum and S. semiarmatum make up the S. semiarmatum group of subgen. Leptostemonum (Bean 2004).

Selected specimens

QLD: LEICHHARDT DISTRICT: 19 km W of Wandoan, Aug 1999, Cook s.n. (BRI). DARLING DOWNS DISTRICT: ‘Palardo’, May 1934, S.T.Blake 5866 (BRI); 10 miles [16 km] E of Texas, Jun 1951, S.L.Everist 2539 & Webb (BRI); ‘Shellbourne’, c. 20 miles [32 km] NE of Miles, May 1960, R.Johnson 1630 (BRI); E of Combididan Farm, ‘Cypress Downs’, Sep 1961, Jones 164 (BRI); ‘Benandre’, 23 miles [37 km] SE of Texas, Apr 1962, L.Pedley 988 (BRI); 20 km W of Milmerran, Feb 1984, Stower (BRI); Houston–Gillespie Dam road, N of Grays Gate, Dec 1999, Menkins DDP8 (BRI); 2.6 km E of Arcot, ENE of Texas, May 2000, A.R.Bean 16657 (BRI, NSW); Road 105, 7 km S of Milmerran, May 2003, A.R.Bean 20305 (BRI); Road 59, SE of Milmerran, May 2003, A.R.Bean 20333 (BRI).

As cited in Bean (2004).

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From the web

Further information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.