 Kalgoorlie area. F. Humphreys © F.Humphreys |
 Line drawing by M. Szent Ivany, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4 (1981) 164, fig. 61. |
 Sketch of fruits by D. E. Symon, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4 (1981), Fig. 152E. |
 Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium. |
Synonymy
Solanum plicatile (S. Moore) Symon, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4: 163; fig. 61 (1981)
S. oldfieldii var. plicatile S. Moore, J. Bot. 41: 99 (1903).
T: Near Coolgardie, W.A., L.C. Webster s.n.; holo: BM, photo AD. An image of the hopotype can be seen on the Solanaceae Source site.
Description
Erect, clonal shrub to 60 cm, grey-green, densely pubescent with stellate hairs; prickles to 5 mm long, usually scattered on stems, rare or absent elsewhere.
Leaves oblong; lamina 10–20 mm long, 5–10 mm wide, concolorous, shallowly lobed, the margin tightly undulate or folded; petiole to 8 mm long.
Inflorescence short, 1–3–flowered, sessile or with peduncle to 5 mm long; pedicels 5–6 mm long. Calyx 5–9 mm long; lobes elliptic, 2–5 mm long. Corolla broadly stellate, 20–25 mm diam., sometimes larger, 4–5 lobed, purple. Anthers 4–6 mm long.
Berry globular, 8–10 mm diam., sometimes larger, yellow. Seeds 2–2.5 mm long, pale yellow-brown. n=12.
Distribution and ecology
Occurs in southern arid areas of W.A. in red sandy soil in Eucalypt, Acacia and mixed woodland, occasionally in hummock grassland.
Relationships
Part of the S. esuriale group of subgen. Leptostemonum according to Bean (2004).
Derivation of epithet
From plicatus, Latin for folded or pleated, a reference to the pleated nature of the leaf margins.
Selected specimens
W.A.: S of Menzies, D.E. Symon 5475 (AD, ADW, CANB, PERTH); c. 68 km W of Balladonia, 6 Nov. 1963, J.H. Willis (MEL); Fraser Range, P.G. Wilson 7740 (PERTH).
From the web
Further information and images of S. plicatile can be found on the FloraBase site.
Limited information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.