Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, ACT

Flowers, leaves, and fruit. Photo: Brian Walters, unknown place

Fruit. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, ACT

Common Name

Thargomindah Nightshade, Sturt's Nightshade

Family

Solanaceae

Notes

Shrub to 3m tall.  Branches usually with a few to many prickles.  Prickles rarely present on other parts of the plant.  Leaves alternating up the stems, 3-7cm long, 5-15mm wide, flat, hairy, the edges often slightly wavy.  Flowers purple, with a short tube and 5 lobes, in clusters of a few to 12 flowers on short stalks arising along the branches.  Fruit yellow to brownish-black and dry (not fleshy) when ripe.

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 589

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

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_sturtianum.htm