Citation: F. Muell., Trans. Phil. Soc. Vic. 1:18 (1854).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Desert nightshade.

Description:
An erect clonal herbaceous perennial or subshrub 0.5-1 m tall; prickles to 12 mm long, firm, pale, slightly recurved, often pubescent for half their length, present on stems, sometimes paired as pseudostipules, generally absent from petioles, leaves and calyces; all parts pubescent with dense close minute silvery stellate hairs, general aspect grey-green; leaves concolorous, 1-3 x 1-1.5 rarely 3 cm, broad-ovate, entire, or with broad shallow obscure basal lobes, margin undulate, veins prominent below, apex rounded or obtuse, base truncate to cordate; petiole 1-5 mm long.

Inflorescence a short cyme of 1-6 flowers, peduncle to 1 cm long; floral rhachis c. 5 mm long; pedicel c. 5 mm long; calyx tube c. 3 mm long; lobes 2-3 mm long, triangular, acumens c. 0.5 mm long, scarcely developed; corolla 2-2.5 cm diam., rotate, the short-triangular petal tips equal to interacuminal tissue, lavender-blue; filaments c. 1 mm long; anthers c. 5 mm long, oblong, loosely erect; ovary and base of the style glandular-hairy; style c. 8 mm long, erect; stigma capitate, pale.

Fruiting pedicels recurved; calyx slightly enlarged to cover the base of the fruit; berry 4-8 mm diam., globular or depressed-globular, finally ripening to a pale-yellow, firm, scarcely succulent; seeds relatively large, 4-5 mm long, black or dark-brown, margin slightly thickened and distinct, frequently obscured by a resinous coating.

	Flowering and fruiting branch and a fruit.
Image source: fig. 577B in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 591.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: LE, GT, EP, NL, YP, SL, SE.   Qld; N.S.W. Conservation status: native Flowering time: through — out the year.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available