Synonymy
Solanum galbinum A.R.Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 782 (2004).
T: Qld, Mt Coolon-Collinsville rd, 0.8 km W of Caves Creek, 20 Jan 1996, I.G.Champion 1310 & A.B.Pollock; holo: BRI.
Solanum sp. (Mt Coolon, I.G.Champion 1310) in Henderson, Names Distrib.
S. parvifolium auct. non R.Br.: see statement by Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 784 (2004)
S. ferocissimum auct. non Lindl.: see statement by Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 784 (2004)
Description
Erect, rhizomatous perennial shrub, 0.5-1.5 m high. Juvenile stage unknown. Adult branchlets rusty or brown; prickles 10-40 per dm, straight, acicular, 3-8 mm long, 8-13 times longer than wide; stellae very dense, 0.35-0.5 mm diameter, sessile; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.4-0.8 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Adult leaves linear, entire; lamina 4-7 cm long, 0.3-0.6 cm wide, 8.5-17 times longer than broad, apex obtuse or acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0-2 mm long, obliqueness index 0-3 percent; petioles 0.2-0.3 cm long, 3-7% length of lamina, prickles absent. Upper leaf surface green; prickles 0-6, straight, acicular, 1.5-7 mm long, prickles absent or present on mid-vein only; stellate hairs distributed throughout; proto-stellae absent; ordinary stellae sparse to moderate density, 0.15-0.4 mm apart, 0.2-0.3 mm across, sessile; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.7-1.3 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Lower leaf surface white; prickles absent; stellae very dense, c. 0.05 mm apart, 0.4-0.5 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.15 mm long; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.4-0.8 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence supra-axillary, pseudo-umbellate or pseudo-racemose, common peduncle 0-4 mm long, rachis prickles absent; 4-9-flowered, weakly andro-monoecious, flowers 5-merous; pedicels 4-6 mm long at anthesis, same thickness throughout, 0.4-0.6 mm thick at midpoint, prickles absent. Calyx tube 1-2 mm long, lobes deltate, 1.5-2.5 mm long; prickles absent at anthesis; stellae very dense, purple, brown or rusty, 0.25-0.35 mm across, stalks 0-0.1 mm long, lateral rays 8 or 9, central ray 0.6-1.4 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla white or mauve, 7-11 mm long, deeply lobed, inner surface sparsely stellate-hairy; anthers 4-5.5 mm long; ovary with stellate hairs only, or with Type 2 hairs only; functional style 8-9.5 mm long, erect, with Type 2 hairs only or with stellate and Type 2 hairs, stellae 0.3-0.4 mm across, lateral rays 5-7, central ray 0.5-1 times as long as laterals.
Fruiting calyx with lobes less than half length of mature fruit, prickles absent. Mature fruits 1-4 per inflorescence, globular, 10-15 mm diameter, pale green with dark green streaks, 1-locular (septum absent or incomplete); placenta in cross-section sessile, semi-circular; mesocarp juicy or moist; exocarp 0.3-0.4 mm thick; pedicels 5-9 mm long in fruit, 0.5-0.9 mm thick at mid-point; seeds pale yellow, 3.5-4 mm long.
Description by A.R.Bean, reproduced with permission from Austrobaileya 6: 782 (2004).
Another detailed description of this species by Bean can be found in his treatment of the eastern Australian species at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/galbinum.htm
Distribution and ecology
Only found in NE Qld where it occurs between Einasleigh in the north and Dysart and Clermont to the south. It is usually associated with sandstone or laterite in Eucalypt woodland or Acacia shirleyi forest.
Relationships
Confused with S. ferocissimum and S. parvifolium of the Ferocissimum group of subgen. Leptostemonum in the past, because of an overall similarity in appearance. Both of these species have red fruits rather than the green with dark green streaks of S. galbinum and the fruits are less than 10 mm wide for the red-fruited species, while they are more than 10 mm wide for S. galbinum. S. parvifolium usually has wider (0.5-3.5 cm) leaves than the other two species (0.2-0.7 cm).
The closest relationships of S. galbinum are thought to lie with S. amblymerum. The species differ by the
- narrower (3-6 mm wide) leaves of S. galbinum, compared with 5-13 mm wide in S. amblyemerum
- shorter (2-3 mm) petioles of S. galbinum, compared with 3-9 mm for S. amblymerum
- stellate corolla of S. galbinum compared with the rotate corolla of S. amblymerum
Both species were treated by Bean (2004) as members of the S. macoorai group of subgen. Leptostemonum.
Derivation of epithet
From the Latin galbinus, yellowish, a reference to the yellow-green fruit.
Selected specimens
QLD:
As cited in Bean (2004).
From the web
Further information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.