Flowering plants. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Fruit and leaves. Photo: Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, ACT

Common Name

Quena

Family

Solanaceae

Notes

Perennial forb to 30cm tall.  Usually has no prickles, some plants having a few prickles towards the base of the plant.  Leaves alternating up the stems, 2-10cm long, 4-30mm wide, flat, velvety, with pointed tips.  Lower leaves lobed and wavy, upper leaves entire or scarcely lobed.  Flowers purple to mauve, sometimes white, tubular, with five lobes, in open groups of 2-6 flowers at the tops of the stems, or arising from along the upper stems.  Fruit yellow to yellow brown, not succulent or bony.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 590

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Solanum~esuriale

Online fact sheet published by the South Australian Herbarium:  http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanum%20species/key/Australian%20Solanum%20species/Media/Html/Solanum_esuriale.htm

FloraBase photos:  http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/photo/7007