 Photo: D.E. Symon 1806 © D.E.Symon |
 Photo: D.E.Symon 1807 © D.E.Symon |
 Line drawing by M. Szent Ivany, J. Adelaide Bot. Gards 4 (1981) 268, fig 120. |
 Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium. |
Synonymy
Solanum beaugleholei Symon, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4: 266; figs 118, 120 (1981)
T: Geikie Gorge, Fitzroy River, W.A., 23 June 1967, D.E. Symon 5300; holo: AD ex ADW 33147; iso: B, K, NSW, PERTH, US.
Description
Erect, straggly, sparingly clonal shrub to 1.5 m, grey-green or yellowish-green, densely pubescent with stellate hairs; prickles to 10 mm long, abundant on stems and petioles, on pedicels and calyx of bisexual flowers, less common to absent elsewhere.
Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate; lamina mostly 6-8 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, concolorous, entire to slightly undulate; petiole 5-15 mm long. Juvenile leaves up to 21 cm long, 11 cm wide.
Inflorescence of one bisexual flower below cyme of up to 25 male flowers; peduncle c. 10 mm long; rachis to 10 (sometimes 20) cm long. Bisexual flower: pedicels 10-15 mm long, lengthened in fruit; calyx usually 9-14 mm long, the lobes lanceolate, 5-8 mm long; corolla broadly stellate, 35-40 mm diam., purple; anthers 7-8 mm long. Male flowers: pedicels 5-10 mm long; calyx 7-9 mm long; corolla to 40 mm diam.; anthers 6-7 mm long. Fruiting pedicel 20-35 mm long.
Berry globular, 25-35 mm diam., pale yellow. Seeds 2.5-3 mm long, black. n=12.
Distribution and ecology
Restricted to the southern Kimberley region and the adjacent Tanami, W.A.
Relationships
An andromonoecious species i.e. one in which there are male flowers and bisexual flowers on the one plant. Often there are many male flowers in an inflorescence with 1(-2) bisexual flowers at their base.
Andromonoecious species of the Dioicum group in Australia include S. beaugleholei, S. clarkiae, S. chippendalei, S. diversiflorum, S. eburneum, S. heteropodium, S. melanospermum, S. oedipus and S. phlomoides .
Symon (1981) indicated that S. beaugleholei was most closely related to S. chippendalei and S. phlomoides . The DNA studies of Martine et al. (2006) supported this observation indicating that S. chippendalei , together with S. diversiflorum, S. beaugleholei, S. phlomoides and probably S. eburneum formed one of three clades for the andromonoecious species of the Dioicum group of subgen. Leptostemonum.
However further molecular analysis involving the trnK-matK gene region has now indicated that all of the Australian andromonoecious species (except for S. campanulatum , S. cinereum and S. stupefactum ) should be combined to form a single clade which also includes two African andromonoecious species and the Australian hermaphrodite species S. hoplopetalum (Martine et al., 2009).
References: Martine, C.T., D. Vanderpool, G.J. Anderson, and D.H. Les (2006). Phylogenetic relationships of andromonoecious and dioecious Australian species of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum section Melongena: Inferences from ITS sequence data. Systematic Botany 31: 410-420; Martine, C.T., G.J. Anderson & D.H. Les (2009). Gender-bending aubergines; molecular phylogenetics of cryptically dioecious Solanum in Australia. Australian Systematic Botany 22: 107-120.
Notes
An andromonoecious species i.e. one in which there are male flowers and bisexual flowers on the one plant. Often there are many male flowers in an inflorescence with 1(-2) bisexual flowers at their base.
S. beaugleholei is distinguished by its shrubby habit, usually entire leaves, and the inflorescence which is often once or twice forked.
Derivation of epithet
Named after Mr Cliff Beauglehole (1920-2002), prolific collector of Australian plants.
See also Corrick, M. (2002). Alexander Clifford Beauglehole 26 August 1920 – 19 January 2002. Victorian Naturalist 119: 81-82.
Selected specimens
W.A.: 84 km S of Derby, A.C. Beauglehole 53055 (PERTH); near Fossil Downs Homestead, A.C. Beauglehole 53990 (AD, PERTH); Winjina Gorge, Napier Range, D.E. Symon 7153 (CANB, PERTH).
From the web
Further information and an image for this species in WA can be found on the FloraBase site.