 O'Reilly's, Qld. Photo: G. Leiper © G. Leiper |
 Photo: G. Leiper © G. Leiper |
 Photo: G. Leiper © G. Leiper |
 Line drawing by M. Szent Ivany, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4 (1981) 126, fig. 41. |
 Stamens and pistil, drawn by D.Symon. Fig. 162A in J. Adelaide Bot.Gard. 4: 345 (1981). S. mitchellianum has only stellate hairs on the ovary if there are any present at all. |
 Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium. |
Synonymy
Solanum semiarmatum F.Muell., Fragm. Phyt. Austral. 2(15): 163 (1861).
T: Ad flumen
Description
Erect clonal shrub to 2 m, dark green, pubescent with stellate and minute glandular hairs; hairs sparse on upper leaf-surface, dense on lower surface; prickles to 15 mm long, abundant on stems, petioles and lower peduncle, usually less common elsewhere.
Leaves mostly discolorous, variable; lower, deeply lobed leaves ovate, the lamina 10–20 cm long, 6–15 cm wide; petiole to 8 cm long; upper, entire to shallowly lobed leaves elliptic-lanceolate, the lamina mostly 6–9 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, sometimes larger; petiole to 3 cm long.
Inflorescence 5–30–flowered; peduncle 1.5–6 cm long to first fork; rachis often branched, to 5 cm long; pedicels 3–10 mm long. Calyx 4–7 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular, 2–3 mm long. Corolla stellate, deeply incised, 1–2 cm diam., bluish-purple. Anthers 3–4.5 mm long.
Berry globular, 8–12 mm diam., dark red to black. Seeds 2–2.5 mm long, pale brown. n=12.
A DELTA-generated description by Bean can be accessed at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/semiarma.htm
Distribution and ecology
Previously treated as widespread in south-eastern Qld and far north-eastern N.S.W., but now (Bean 2004) considered to be confined to the area between Lamington NP in SE Qld and Kyogle in
Common on rainforest margins, along creek banks in vine and wet sclerophyll forests, often at altitudes above 800 m. Flowering September to May; fruiting January to May.
Common name
Devil's whiskers
Relationships
S. mitchellianum was previously treated as part of S. semiarmatum but is now considered by Bean (2004) to be distinct by its
- entire or shallowly lobed leaves compared with the deeply lobed leaves of S. semiarmatum
- by the sessile or subsessile stellate hairs on the undersurface of the leaf compared with the stalked stellate hairs of S. semiarmatum
- by the ovary and style either without hairs or with stellate hairs compared with presence of only glandular hairs in S. semiarmatum.
- by the absence of prickles on the calyces of this species where they are present in S. semiarmatum.
The two species overlap in distribution in SE Qld and
Part of the S. semiarmatum group of subgen. Leptostemonum according to Bean (2004), together with S. coracinum and S. mitchellianum .
Selected specimens
Specimens cited in Bean (2004, p. 715) are reproduced here because earlier accounts of S. semiarmatum included specimens now attributed to S. mitchellianum .
From the web
A series of photographs of S. semiarmatum can be accessed through Bean's Solanum site at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/semiarma.htm
Other images can be seen on the Toowoomba Plants site.
Further information on this species in NSW can be seen on the PlantNET site.
A photograph of this species by Hugh & Nan Nicholson can be seen on the Terania Rainforest Publishing Photo Library site.
Further information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.