Common name: Potato Bush, Potato Weed
Solanum ellipticum R.Br. APNI* Synonyms: Solanum dianthophorum Dunal APNI*
Description: Sprawling, perennial herb to 1 m diam., usually greyish green, growing tips often purple; mostly densely stellate-hairy; prickles scattered to abundant on branches, petioles and peduncles, sparse elsewhere.
Leaves ovate to elliptic, 4–8 cm long, 2–3 cm wide, margins entire and often undulate; slightly discolorous, upper surface green and ± velvety, lower surface greyish and ± woolly; petiole 1–5 cm long.
Inflorescences 1–7-flowered; peduncle 10–80 mm long; rachis 10–30 mm long; pedicels 8–11 mm long. Calyx mostly 6–10 mm long; lobes 5–8 mm long. Corolla rotate to ± pentagonal, 20–30 mm diam., purple.
Berry 15–20 mm diam., pale yellow-green, often tinged purple; pedicel usually 15–20 mm long.
Flowering: throughout year.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on heavy clay and sandy soils, chiefly north from between Parkes and Condobolin.
NSW subdivisions: NWS, CWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
Text by B. J. Conn
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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