Illustration of S. intonsum by W.A.Smith. Reproduced with permission from Austrobaileya 6: 765 (2004).

Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium.

Synonymy

Solanum intonsum A.R.Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 763 (2004)

T: Qld, Smiths track, Barron Gorge NP, 6 May 2000, A.R.Bean 16542; holo: BRI; iso: MEL, NSW.

Solanum sp. (Font Hills J.R.Clarkson 7901) Henderson, Names Distrib.Qld Pl. (2002).

Description

 Erect, rhizomatous perennial shrub, 0.8-2 m high. Juvenile branchlets with 30-50 prickles per dm, 1-7 mm long; leaves (in outline) ovate, entire or shallowly-lobed, with 2 or 3 pairs of lobes; lamina 9.5-14 cm long, 5.5-6 cm wide, with 0-7 prickles on upper surface. Adult branchlets yellow; prickles absent or present, 0-5 per decimetre, straight, broad-based, 0.5-6 mm long, 4-7 times longer than wide; stellae dense to very dense, 0.3-0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.2 mm long; lateral rays 6-8, porrect; central ray 0.3-0.7 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.

Adult leaves lanceolate or ovate, entire; lamina 4.5-16.5 cm long, 1.3-6.5 cm wide, 2.1-4.5 times longer than broad, apex acute, base cuneate or obtuse, oblique part 0-5 mm long, obliqueness index 0-6 percent; petioles 0.3-2.5 cm long, 7-30% length of lamina, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface green or grey-green; prickles absent; stellate hairs distributed throughout; proto-stellae present; ordinary stellae density moderate to dense, 0.1-0.2 mm apart, 0.15-0.25 mm across, sessile; lateral rays 4-10, ascending; central ray 0.5-1 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Lower leaf surface white; prickles absent; stellae dense to very dense, 0.05-0.1 mm apart, 0.4-0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.2 mm long; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.2-0.6 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.

Inflorescence supra-axillary, pseudo-umbellate or pseudo-racemose, common peduncle 0-5 mm long, rachis prickles absent; 2-7-flowered, weakly andromonoecious, flowers 5-merous; pedicels 4-9 mm long at anthesis, same thickness throughout, 0.5-0.8 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent. Calyx tube 3-4.5 mm long, lobes attenuate, 1-5 mm long; prickles absent at anthesis; stellae dense to very dense, yellow, 0.25-0.4 mm across, stalks 0-0.1 mm long, lateral rays 7 or 8, central ray 0.5-1 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple, 9-13 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy; anthers 4.5-5.5 mm long; ovary with Type 2 hairs only; functional style 8-9 mm long, erect, with stellate hairs only or with Type 2 hairs only, stellae c. 0.3 mm across, lateral rays 5-6, central ray 0.5-1 times as long as laterals.

Fruiting calyx with lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 or 2 per inflorescence, globular, 15-17 mm diameter, green, 2-locular; placenta in cross-section sessile, linear; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp c. 2 mm thick; pedicels 7-10 mm long in fruit, 0.8-1 mm thick at mid-point; seeds pale yellow, 2.3-2.8 mm long.   

Description by Bean, reproduced with permission from Austrobaileya 6: 763 (2004).

A detailed description of this species can also be found in the Bean treatment of the eastern Australian species of Solanum at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/intonsum.htm

Distribution and ecology

Occurs from Coen to Cairns in eucalypt woodland or on rainforest or vine thicket margins associated with hilly areas.

Relationships

Closest to S. magnifolium but differing by

• ovary with glandular hairs in S. intonsum, these stellate in S. magnifolium
• mature fruits green in S. intonsum, these yellow or yellowish-green in S. magnifolium
• mature fruits 15-17 mm diameter in S. intonsum, these 20-27 mm diameter in S. magnifolium
• pedicels in mature fruits 7-10 mm long in S. intonsum, these 19-23 mm long in S. magnifolium

Considered to be part of the S. macoorai group of subgen. Leptostemonum by Bean (2004).

Notes

A line drawing of this species can be found in Austrobaileya 6: 765 (2004).

Top

Derivation of epithet

From in-, Latin prefix for not, and tonsus, Latin for shaven, a reference to the dense indumentum of the leaves.

Selected specimens

QLD: COOK DISTRICT: sources of Stuart’s River [Stewart River near Coen], 1891, Johnson s.n. (MEL); Hartley’s Creek, Cook Highway, Jul 1936, Flecker 1972, 1986 (BRI); Mt Carbine, Nov 1967, Cassels (BRI, QRS); S.F.700, Mar 1968, Hyland 4068 (BRI, QRS); Flinders Island, c. 7 km N of Bathurst Head, Jun 1978, Clarkson 2215 (BRI); Earl Hill near Cairns, Oct 1979, Batianoff 1292 & McDonald (AD, BRI); Richards Creek, Mount Mulligan, Apr 1984, Clarkson 5268 (AD, BRI, QRS); ‘Font Hills’, c. 15 km W of Mount Molloy, Apr 1989, Clarkson 7901 & Henderson (AD, BRI, DNA); Mt Alto, c. 4 km SSW of Mt Carbine, Apr 1989, Clarkson 7939 & Henderson (BRI); Cape Melville N.P., 2 km SSE of Temple Hill, May 1993, Fell DGF3172 & Stanton (BRI, CANB); S.F.144, Chowchilla L.A., Mar 1994, Hyland 15058 (QRS); Bakers Blue Mtn, Apr 1995, Hyland 15294 (QRS); Smiths Track, Barron Gorge N.P., Mar 1997, Jago 4284 (BRI).

From the web

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