Synonymy

Solanum neoanglicum A.R.Bean, Telopea 9: 659 (2001)

T: NSW, Northern Tablelands, Ebor Falls Lookout, Ebor, 7 Jan 2001, A.R.Bean 17628; holo BRI; iso: MEL, NE, NSW

S. brownii auct. non Dunal: Symon, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4: 249 (1981) p.p.

Description

Erect, rhizomatous perennial shrub, 0.7–1.4 m high. Juvenile leaves lanceolate or ovate, shallowly-lobed throughout, with 1–3 pairs of lobes; lamina 7–9 cm long, 2–3 cm wide.

Adult branchlets grey or mauve, with or without prickles, these 0–3 per decimetre, straight, acicular, 4–6 mm long; glabrous; hairs stellate, stellae dense or very dense, 0.25–0.4 mm diameter; lateral rays porrect, 7–8, central ray present or absent, 0–0.5 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; Type 2 hairs absent.

Adult leaves linear or narrow lanceolate, entire; lamina 3–9.6 cm long, 0.3–1.5 cm wide, 6–10 times longer than broad; apex obtuse or acute; base cuneate or attenuate; oblique part 0–3 mm long, obliqueness index 0–4 percent. Adult leaves petioles 0.3–1.7 cm long, 11–21 % length of lamina, prickles absent.

Upper leaf surface green or grey-green; prickles absent or present on midvein only; stellate hairs distributed throughout; protostellae absent; stellate hairs sparse to moderately dense. Upper leaf surface: ordinary stellae 0.1–0.3 mm apart; 0.15–0.25 mm across; lateral rays 4–8; central ray 0–1 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped. Simple hairs and Type 2 hairs absent.

Lower leaf surface white; prickles absent. Lower leaf surface: stellate hairs dense or very dense; stellae 0.3–0.5 mm across; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0–0.5 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped. Simple hairs and Type 2 hairs absent.

Inflorescence supra-axillary, cymose (pseudo-racemose); 1–4-flowered, strongly or weakly andromonoecious; lacking prickles. Flowers 5-merous. Pedicels at anthesis 10–13 mm long, prickles absent. Calyx tube at anthesis 2–3 mm long. Calyx lobes at anthesis deltate, 2–3.5 mm long. Calyx lacking prickles at anthesis. Calyx stellae dense, transparent or purple, 0.25–0.5 mm across; lateral rays 7–8; central ray 0.5–1 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped. Calyx lacking simple hairs and Type 2 hairs. Corolla purple, 9–13 mm long, rotate; anthers 4–5 mm long. Ovary with Type 2 hairs only or with stellate and Type 2 hairs. Functional style 7.5–9 mm long, erect, with Type 2 hairs only.

Fruiting calyx lobes less than half length of mature fruit, lacking prickles. Mature fruits 1 per inflorescence, globular, 14–17 mm diameter, yellowish-green or green, often streaked, 2-locular, mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.5–0.7 mm thick. Pedicels at fruiting stage 17–23 mm long. Seeds white or pale yellow, 2.6–2.8 mm long.

Adapted from Bean's detailed description of this species at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/neoangli.htm

Distribution and ecology

Found between Guyra and Walcha on the New England Tablelands, NSW.

It occurs on the edges of escarpments and rocky slopes in areas above 800 m altitude.

Relationships

Part of the S. brownii complex of the S. macoorai group of subgen. Leptostemonum. It had been treated as S. brownii up until 2001 (see Bean 2001).

S. neoanglicum overlaps in distribution with S. curvicuspe but the latter is found predominantly in the rainforest regions of the coastal ranges between Kempsey andGloucester rather than the escarpments of the New England Tablelands at altitudes above 800 metres.  Bean separates the two species by the obscuring of the tertiary venation of the lower leaf surface by the 'loose' stellate hairs in S. neoanglicum compared with the visibility of the tertiary venation because of the 'close' tomentum in S. curvicuspe and by the length of the functional style, 7-9 mm in S. neoanglicum and 9-12 mm in S. curvicuspe.

Notes

A group at the RBG Sydney is investigating the horticultural potential of the S. brownii group, including S. neoanglicum, along with their genetic relationships. A report on their findings can be seen in Marchant et al. (2008).

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Derivation of epithet

From neo- Latin prefix for new and anglicum, latin for England, a reference to its area of occurrence, New England in NSW.

From the web

Further information on this species in NSW can be seen on the PlantNET site where there is also an image of a herbarium specimen.

There is presently limited information for this species on the Solanaceae Source site.