Sida spinosa |
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false or Indian or prickly mallow, prickly fanpetals, prickly sida |
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Habit | Subshrubs or herbs, annual or perennial, 0.2–1 m, rarely taller. |
Stems | erect, minutely stellate-hairy, hairs to 0.5 mm. |
Leaves | stipules free from petiole, 1-veined, subulate, 3–6 mm, 1/2 as long as petiole; petiole 5–15 mm, usually 1/4–1/2 length of blade, sometimes shorter, minutely stellate-hairy, hairs to 0.5 mm, usually with small spinelike tubercle on stem just below its attachment; blade ovate, lanceolate, or narrowly oblong, 2–6 cm, smaller apically, 2–5 times longer than wide, base subcordate, margins crenate-serrate to base, apex usually acute, surfaces stellate-tomentulose abaxially, glabrate adaxially. |
Inflorescences | axillary solitary or 2–4 clustered flowers. |
Pedicels | 0.5–1 cm, subequal to calyx and subtending petiole. |
Flowers | calyx angulate, 5–7 mm, minutely tomentose, lobes triangular; petals yellow, rarely white, 5 mm; staminal column glabrous; style 5-branched. |
Schizocarps | subconic, 4–5 mm diam., hairy; mericarps 5, 3–4 mm, somewhat rugose, apex spined, spines 1 mm, antrorsely hairy. |
2n | = 14, 28. |
Sida spinosa |
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Phenology | Flowering year-round in warmer areas, summer elsewhere. |
Habitat | Roadsides, pastures, disturbed ground |
Elevation | 0–1500 m [0–4900 ft] |
Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; ON; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
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Discussion | A small spur sometimes is present on the abaxial side of the petiole at the juncture with the stem, to which the specific epithet refers. It is not a spine and occasionally is absent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 318. |
Parent taxa | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | S. alba, S. alnifolia, S. angustifolia, S. heterocarpa |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 683. (1753) |
Web links |
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