Citation: H. Eichler, Taxon 12:296 (1963).

Synonymy: S. fasciculosum F. Muell., Fragm. Phyt. Aust. 1:123 (1859), nom. illegit.; S. simile F. Muell. var. fasciculatum (F. Muell.)Domin, Biblthca Bot. 89:1129 (1929).

Common name: Kangaroo apple, South Australian kangaroo apple.

Description:
An erect soft-wooded shrub, 1-1.5 rarely 2 m tall, lasting several years, all parts glabrous except for minute simple and glandular hairs on young growing points, calyx and corolla tips and occasional stout conical hairs on the lower mid-veins of younger leaves, unarmed, general aspect green; lobed leaves 10-18 x 3-8 cm, ovate-lanceolate, with 1-7 lobes, sinuses rounded, rarely cut half way to the midrib, lobes bluntly triangular, leaf and lobe apex rounded or acute, leaf base equal or unequal, cuneate; petiole 2-3 cm long; simple leaves 3-12 x 0.5-1.5 cm, lanceolate to elliptic, apex rounded or acute, base long-cuneate; petiole 1-1.5 cm long.

Inflorescence a scorpioid cyme from the branch or a leaf axil (sometimes forked at the base in vigorous specimens); peduncle 0-3 cm long, a single pedicellate flower may occur in the fork, floral rhachis to 5 cm long, sessile clusters of 1-3 flowers also occur; pedicels 1-1.5 cm long; calyx 4-5 mm long, lobes c. 2 mm long, broadly triangular, rounded, acumen c. 1 mm long, blunt, almost fleshy; corolla 3-4 cm diam., rotate, interacuminal tissue well developed, extending beyond the petal tips then appearing emarginate giving the corolla a shallow 10-lobed appearance, a pale lavender-purple; filaments 3-4 mm long; anthers 2-3 mm long, oblong, loosely erect; ovary glabrous; style c. 1 cm long, exserted through the side of the anther column, pale-mauve; stigma capitate, pale.

Fruits 1.5-2 x 1-1.5 cm, oval to obovoid, marbled-green with darker green stripes or tinged with purple at maturity, becoming succulent when ripe; calyx not greatly enlarged, covering the base of the fruit; seeds c. 2 mm diam., greyish or reddish-brown, finely reticulate, stone cell masses to 2 mm diam., rounded, often facetted, seeds not usually adherent to them.

	Flowering and fruiting branch and a fruit.
Image source: fig. 579C in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Symon (1981) d. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4:89.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NU, EP, YP.   W.Aust. 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