Synonymy
Solanum dumicola A.R.Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 770 (2004)
T: Qld, Cannondale Scrub, ampitheatre section, Expedition NP, 6 Nov 1998, P.I.Forster 23858 & R.Booth; holo: BRI; iso: MEL, QRS.
?S. furfuraceum auct. non R.Br.: Symon, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 247 (1981), p.p. [although not cited in Symon 1981 or Purdie et al (1982) the specimen Moriarty 1556 cited in Bean has been treated as S. furfuraceum in AD].
Description
Sprawling or erect, herbaceous resprouter, 0.3-0.5 m high. Juvenile stage unknown. Adult branchlets brown or green; prickles 30-70 per dm, straight, acicular, 6-10 mm long, 13-20 times longer than wide; stellae dense, 0.25-0.6 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.2 mm long; lateral rays 4-7, porrect; central ray 1-1.5 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Adult leaves ovate or broadly ovate, entire; lamina 4.5-12.5 cm long, 3-7.5 cm wide, 1.6-1.9 times longer than broad, apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0-7 mm long, obliqueness index 0-7 percent; petioles 0.6-2.8 cm long, 13-25% length of lamina, prickles present. Upper leaf surface green; prickles 0-20, straight, acicular, 3-7 mm long, prickles absent or present on mid-vein only or present on mid-vein and lateral veins; stellate hairs distributed throughout; proto-stellae absent; ordinary stellae sparse, 0.4-1.7 mm apart, 0.3-0.7 mm across, stalks 0-0.15 mm long; lateral rays 5-8, porrect; central ray 1-2 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Lower leaf surface greenish-white; prickles 0 or 1, straight, acicular, absent or present on mid-vein only; stellae dense, 0.15-0.4 mm apart, 0.6-0.8 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.2 mm long; lateral rays 5-8, porrect; central ray 1-1.5 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence supra-axillary, solitary or pseudo-racemose, common peduncle 1.5-4 mm long, rachis prickles present; 1-3-flowered, strongly andromonoecious, flowers 5-merous; pedicels 8-13 mm long at anthesis, same thickness throughout, 0.9-1.1 mm thick at midpoint, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube 3-5 mm long, lobes attenuate, 4-6 mm long; prickles absent at anthesis; stellae dense, white, 0.25-0.4 mm across, sessile, lateral rays 5-8, central ray 1-1.5 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs present. Corolla mauve, 7-11 mm long, shallowly lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy; anthers 4-5 mm long; ovary with stellate and Type 2 hairs; functional style 5-6 mm long, erect, with stellate and Type 2 hairs, stellae c. 0.25 mm across, lateral rays 6-8, central ray 1-1.5 times as long as laterals.
Fruiting calyx with lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1 or 2 per inflorescence, globular, 16-19 mm diameter, green; mesocarp moist but not juicy; exocarp 0.8-1 mm thick; pedicels 10-24 mm long in fruit, 1.1-2 mm thick at mid-point; seeds pale yellow, 2-2.3 mm long.
Description by Bean, reproduced with permission, from Austrobaileya 6: 770 (2004).
Distribution and ecology
S. dumicola is known only by a few collections, mainly from the Injune area of S central Qld. Mostly occurs in vine thicket or Belah (Casuarina cristata) forest on clay soil.
Relationships
S. dumicola is closest to S. furfuraceum, within which it was presumably treated earlier. The two species differ by
- Much lower height (20-30 cm) of S. dumicola compared with 1-3 m in S. furfuraceum
- lack of corky bark in S. dumicola, this present in S. furfuraceum
- sparser hair covering on the upper leaf surface in S. dumicola and the lack of simple eglandular hairs, this denser and with simple eglandular hairs in S. furfuraceum
- 1-3-flowered inflorescence in S. dumicola, this 5-8-flowered in S. furfuraceum
- longer fruiting pedicels (10-24 mm) in S. dumicola, these 4-8 mm in S. furfuraceum
Both species are considered by Bean (2004) to be members of the S. macoorai group of subgen. Leptostemonum.
Selected specimens
QLD: LEICHHARDT DISTRICT: Injune–Rolleston road, c. 77 km from Injune, Sep 1974, Moriarty 1556 (BRI, CANB). WARREGO DISTRICT: above Cattle Creek, ‘Carnarvon’ station, NW of Injune, Jun 1999, McDonald 6768 (BRI); ‘Carnarvon’ station, Mar 2001, Fensham 4249 (BRI). MARANOA DISTRICT: The Tombs, Maranoa River W branch, c. 110 km NW of Injune, Jun 1977, Crisp 3113A (BRI).
Specimens cited by Bean (2004).
From the web
Another detailed description of this species can be found on the Bean interactive key site at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/dumicola.htm
Further information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.