Citation:
Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Australia 58: 180. 1934.
Type:
Australia. Northern Territory: ‘Macdonald Downs’ Station, 1932, J. Chalmers s. n. (lectotype, K, designated by Symon, 1981).
Habit:
Erect, herbaceous resprouter, 0.2-0.4 m tall. Juvenile stage unknown. Adult stems yellow, rusty, or brown, very densely stellate-pubescent, the stellae 0.5-0.6 mm in diameter, the stalks 0-0.2 mm long, the lateral rays 7-8, porrect, the midpoints 0.8-1.2 times as long as lateral rays, eglandular; finger hairs absent; very short, gland-tipped hairs absent; prickles present, straight, acicular, 4-7 mm long, 7-10 times longer than wide, with 0-2 prickles per dm.
Sympodial structure:
Sympodial units apparently 2-foliate, not geminate.
Leaves:
Leaves simple, the blades 2.8-8.5 x 1.1-4.2 cm, 2-2.5 times as long as wide, ovate, chartaceous, grey-green or grey and densely to very densely stellate-pubescent adaxially, the hairs distributed throughout, spaced 0.05-0.2 mm apart, 0.5-0.7 mm across, the stalks 0-0.2 mm long, the lateral rays 7-8, porrect, the midpoints 0.7-1.1 times as long as lateral rays, eglandular; finger hairs absent; very short, gland-tipped hairs absent; prickles absent; white, yellowish, or rusty and very densely stellate-pubescent abaxially, the hairs spaced 0.05-0.1 mm apart, 0.5-0.8 mm in diameter, the stalks 0.1-0.3 mm long, the lateral rays 6-8, porrect, the midpoints 0.7-1.1 times as long as lateral rays, eglandular; finger hairs absent; very short, gland-tipped hairs absent; prickles absent; base cuneate to cordate, oblique part 0-1.5 mm long; margin entire; apex acute or obtuse; petioles 0.8-2.6 cm long, 17-40% length of lamina, very densely stellate-pubescent, prickles absent.
Inflorescences:
Inflorescence 0.5-6 cm, extra-axillary, unbranched, pseudo-racemose, with 1-6 flowers, the flowers all apparently perfect, the axes very densely stellate-pubescent, unarmed; peduncle 0-2.3 cm; rachis 0.5-1.5 (-4) cm; pedicels 5-7 mm long in flower, 0.9-1.3 mm thick at midpoint, the same thickness throughout or markedly thicker distally, ca. 15 mm long in fruit, ca. 1 mm thick at mid-point.
Flowers:
Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 3-6 mm, the tube 2-4 mm long, the lobes 1-4 mm long, rostrate, very densely stellate-pubescent, the hairs brown or rusty, 0.4-0.5 mm in diameter, the stalks 0-0.2 mm long, the lateral rays 7-8, the midpoints 0.7-1.2 times as long as lateral rays, eglandular; finger hairs absent; very short, gland-tipped hairs absent; prickles absent; fruiting calyx slightly accrescent, with lobes less than or more than half length of mature fruit, unarmed. Corolla 10-13 mm long, stellate or shallowly lobed, chartaceous, purple, the lobes narrowly triangular, sparsely to densely stellate-pubescent adaxially. Stamens with anthers 4.3-6.2 mm long, lanceolate, not connivent, yellow, the pores minute and directed distally. Ovary glabrous or stellate-pubescent at apex; style 8-9 mm long, cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, glabrous or stellate-pubescent at base; stigma truncate or capitate.
Fruits:
Fruits 1-4 per inflorescence, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, globose, at first drab green, then yellowish and finally drying brown to a raisin-like appearance, glabrous.
Seeds:
Seeds (2-) 3 (-4) mm long, pale or light brown, the surface minutely undulate.
Phenology:
Flowers are recorded for March, July and September.
Solanum centrale has not been recorded for Queensland until Bean’s 2004 publication. The specimens cited from Queensland are a good match for specimens from the Northern Territory, including the type. However, the N.T. material tends to have leaves more rusty in colour, shorter prickles, and stellae with a somewhat shorter central ray. Further Queensland material, particularly of the fruits, is needed to confirm the identity. Solanum centrale is closely related to S. jucundum, but differs by its lower stature; the much larger stellae of the branchlets, upper and lower leaf surfaces; absence of very short, gland-tipped hairs from the upper leaf surface; and the glabrous ovary.
Conservation status: Although very restricted in Queensland, this species is common and widespread in central Australia.