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Solanum symonii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Solanum symonii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species:
S. symonii
Binomial name
Solanum symonii
Synonyms
Habit in the Cape Le Grand National Park

Solanum symonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae and is native to near-coastal areas of Western Australia and South Australia. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and pale lavender-purple flowers.

Description

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Solanum symonii is an erect or spreading, softly-wooded shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.7–2 m (2 ft 4 in – 6 ft 7 in) and is more or less glabrous apart from a few hairs on its growing points. The leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 100–180 mm (3.9–7.1 in) long and 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) wide on a petiole 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in) long. The leaves lack prickles and are shallowly lobed. The flowers are borne in groups of two to six on a peduncle up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long, the rachis 50 mm (2.0 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long. The sepals are broadly triangular, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, the sepal lobes about 2 mm (0.079 in) long, the petals pale lavender-purple and 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) long with notched lobes. Flowering occurs throughout the year with a peak from July to October, and the fruit is an oval to egg-shaped berry 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy

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This species was first formally described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Solanum fasciculatum in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected near the Phillips River.[6][7] Mueller's name was illegitimate because it had already been used for a different species (Solanum fasciculatum Vell., now known as Athenaea fasciculata).[8] In 1963, Hansjörg Eichler changed the name to Solanum symonii in the journalTaxon.[9] The specific epithet (symonii) honours David Eric Symon.[10]

Distribution and habitat

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Solanum symonii grows in sandy soil on coastal limestone and sand dunes from Geraldton in north-western Western Australia to the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.[2][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Solanum symonii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b Symon, David E.; Purdie, Rosemary W. "Solanum symonii". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Solanum symonii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ^ "Solanum symonii". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b Symon, David E. (1981). "A revision of the genus Solanum in Australia" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 4: 88–90. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Solanum fasciculatum". APNI. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  7. ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1859). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 1. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 123. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Solanum fasciculatum". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Solanum symonii". APNI. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 318. ISBN 9780958034180.