Synonymy
Solanum senticosum A.R.Bean, Austrobaileya 6: 744 (2004).
T: Qld, 4.5 miles SW of Mt Isa, 5 Jul 1974, P. Ollerenshaw 1220 & D.Kratzing; holo: BRI; iso: AD, CANB. An image of the type specimen can be seen at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/images/Sol_senti.jpg
Solanum ellipticum R.Br. var. horridum Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 588 (1929).
T: [Qld], Around Cloncurry, Feb. 1910, K.Domin s.n.; holo: PR539017, photo AD & BRI (fide Symon 1981 & Bean 2004).
Solanum ellipticum auct.non R.Br.: Symon, J. Adelaide Bot.Gard. 4: 188 (1981), p.p.
Description
Erect, rhizomatous perennial shrub, 0.3-0.6 m high. Juvenile stage unknown. Adult branchlets rusty or brown; prickles 180-400 per decimetre, straight, acicular, 1.5-6 mm long, 11-18 times longer than wide; stellae very dense, 0.6-0.9 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.4 mm long; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect or ascending; central ray 0.6-1.2 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Adult leaves ovate, entire; lamina 3.5-9 cm long, 1.2-3.4 cm wide, 1.9-2.7 times longer than broad, apex acute, base cuneate, oblique part 0-5 mm long, obliqueness index 0-9 percent; petioles 0.7-1.7 cm long, 19-30% length of lamina, prickles present. Upper leaf surface grey; prickles 0-6, straight, acicular, 1-4 mm long, prickles absent or present on midvein only; stellate hairs distributed throughout; proto-stellae absent; ordinary stellae dense, 0.1-0.25 mm apart, 0.6-1 mm across, stalks 0-0.25 mm long; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.8-1.2 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Lower leaf surface rusty; prickles 0-10, straight, acicular, absent or present on mid-vein only or present on mid-vein and lateral veins; stellae dense to very dense, 0.1-0.2 mm apart, 0.7-1 mm diameter, stalks 0-0.6 mm long; lateral rays 7 or 8, porrect; central ray 0.6-1.2 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent.
Inflorescence supra-axillary, solitary or pseudo-racemose, common peduncle 0-2 mm long, rachis prickles present; 1-3-flowered, flowers 5-merous; pedicels 5-11 mm long at anthesis, same thickness throughout, 0.9-1.2 mm thick at mid-point, prickles absent or present. Calyx tube 2-3.5 mm long, lobes attenuate, 4-9 mm long; prickles present at anthesis, 40-65 per flower, 1-4 mm long; stellae very dense, brown or rusty, 0.4-0.6 mm across, stalks 0-0.2 mm long, lateral rays 6-8, central ray 0.6-1.2 times as long as laterals, not gland-tipped; finger hairs absent; Type 2 hairs absent. Corolla purple, 7-11 mm long, shallowly or deeply lobed, inner surface glabrous; anthers 4-4.5 mm long; ovary glabrous; functional style 7.5-8.5 mm long, erect, glabrous.
Fruiting calyx with lobes more than half length of mature fruit, prickles 2-5 mm long. Mature fruits 1 or 2 per inflorescence, globular, 12-14 mm diameter, green; mesocarp moist but not juicy; pedicels 6-14 mm long in fruit, 1.2-1.5 mm thick at mid-point.
Reproduced, with permission, from Bean (2004).
Another detailed description of this species by Bean can be found at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/senticos.htm
Distribution and ecology
Found mostly in the Mt Isa area of Qld where it occurs on rocky ridges with Eucalyptus leucophloia with a Triodia understory.
Relationships
Close to S. ellipticum and part of the S. ellipticum group of subgen. Leptostemonum according to Bean (2004). It differs from S. ellipticum by its
- erect habit, rather than prostrate habit of S. ellipticum
- rusty indumentum, rather than white, mauve or brown indumentum of S. ellipticum
- stems usually with denser (180-400 per 10cm) prickles than in S. ellipticum with 10-250 per 10 cm
- Bean also records that the prickles on the calyces of S. sentricosum are stout and in longitudinal rows, which they are presumably not in S. ellipticum .
Derivation of epithet
From the Latin senticosus - full of thorns or prickles.
Selected specimens
QLD: BURKE DISTRICT: Mt Isa, Apr 1935, Blake 8780 (BRI); 3 km from kiosk road, near Lake Moondarra, NW of Mt Isa, Aug 1973, Swan 110 (BRI); 60 km E of Mount Isa on the Mount Isa–Cloncurry road, Aug 1973, Swan 116 (BRI); hill with radio repeater 4141 on Barkly Highway 24 km NNW of Mount Isa, May 1974, Kanis 1701 (BRI, CANB, K); Mount Isa, May 1952, Morris 143 (BRI); Mount Isa, Oct 1974, Specht 75 & Rogers (BRI); north end of dam, 4 km SW of Mt Isa, Aug 1986, Harris 66 (BRI); Millican Creek, track to Telstra tower, Barkly Hwy, Apr 1997, Forster PIF20821 & Holland (BRI); SO2 study site MR6, 8.27 km to Mt Isa copper stack at 339º, Apr 1998, Fell DGF5235 & Barrs (BRI); ‘Riversleigh’, Campbells Camp on the Gregory River, Jul 1998, Symon 15794 (AD, BRI). GREGORY NORTH DISTRICT: ‘Elderslie’, Winton, Sep 1934, Kennedy 21 (BRI); Duchess, May 1936, Blake 11528 (BRI); track to Mistake Hut, Bladensberg N.P., S of Winton, Mar 1998, Forster PIF22230 & Booth (AD, BRI, MEL).
As cited by Bean (2004).
From the web
Access to another description and an image of the type specimen can be had through Bean's Solanum site at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/senticos.htm
Further information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.