Solanum marginatum L.f.

Branched medium-sized to large shrub, occasionally almost a small tree, to c. 5 m tall; most parts densely white-stellate-tomentose; prickles yellow, to 1.5 cm long. Petioles to c. 4 cm long, prickly. Lvs to c. 25 × 18 cm, usually less on reproductive shoots, broadly ovate or elliptic-ovate, sinuately lobed, finally glabrate or glabrous and dark green above except for whitish tomentose margin, persistently white-stellate-tomentose beneath; midrib and veins prickly, the prickles to > 1 cm long on veins above; base usually deeply cordate with sinus obscured by basal lobes; apex rounded. Cymes few-flowered, white-stellate-tomentose and prickly; peduncles to 4 cm long; pedicels pendent at fruiting. Calyx 9–14 mm long, accrescent; lobes lanceolate-ovate. Corolla 2.5–3.5 cm diam., white, sometimes with purplish veins; lobes broadly triangular-ovate, stellate-tomentose outside. Anthers 6–8 mm long. Berry 2–6 cm diam., globose or subglobose, yellow; stone cells 0. Seeds 3–4 mm diam., broad-ovoid to broad-obovoid.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Nov.–Mar.