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Solanum Nightshade
Solanum sp.
-27.7354, 152.708
Field Notes
Description:
A random spotting I made of this Solanum genus nightshade, of the family Solanaceae. There's loads of information at the reference links, but I am stumped as to which actual species this could be. The flowers are typical of the genus, but you'll notice in the 2nd photo the thorns on the stems and buds, and I cannot find an exact match for this despite there being many species that clearly have sharp thorns. Solanum chenopodioides (whitetip nightshade) looks to be a very similar species, minus the thorns. Hmmm. At this stage I'm unable to determine if this is a native Australian species or an introduced species. PS: An excellent site with comprehensive information is the government's environment site - Flora of Australia - Solanaceae.... http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/94a0be92-9b0b-42f6-b37…
Habitat:
Spotted at Purga Nature Reserve, Ipswich SEQ. Surrounding area cleared farmland, this region is freshening up with rain after a prolonged drought. This is usually a wetland area that is periodically waterlogged during wet periods. https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/26430/Purga-… According to Ipswich Council, this small reserve constitutes "the largest protected area of endangered Swamp Tea-tree forest in the world."
Notes:
Queensland Government - Weeds of Australia, lists some of the species of Solanum found in Queensland.... https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/search.html?zo… Solanum is a cosmopolitan genus of c.1500 species, chiefly in tropical and sub-tropical Central and South America, with secondary centres of speciation in Australia and Africa. In Australia, there are c.200 species, many of which are native and endemic.
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