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false or Indian or prickly mallow, prickly fanpetals, prickly sida

Florida sida

Habit Subshrubs or herbs, annual or perennial, 0.2–1 m, rarely taller. Herbs, perennial, 1–2 m.
Stems

erect, minutely stellate-hairy, hairs to 0.5 mm.

erect, minutely stellate-hairy to glabrescent.

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.

stipules free from pedicel, filiform to linear, often curved or twisted, 4–9 mm, subequal to corresponding petiole;

petiole 4–7 mm, ca. 1/10 length of blade, sparsely stellate-hairy;

blade lanceolate-elliptic to subrhombic, 5–9 cm, 4–7 times longer than wide, base cuneate, margins crenulate-serrate to base, apex acute, surfaces sparsely stellate-hairy abaxially, glabrescent adaxially.

Inflorescences

axillary solitary or 2–4 clustered flowers.

axillary solitary flowers, often congested apically.

Pedicels

0.5–1 cm, subequal to calyx and subtending petiole.

unarticulated, 0.5–1 cm, shorter than subtending leaf, shorter than or subequal to calyx.

Flowers

calyx angulate, 5–7 mm, minutely tomentose, lobes triangular;

petals yellow, rarely white, 5 mm;

staminal column glabrous;

style 5-branched.

calyx ribbed, 7–9 mm, glabrous, lobes trullate;

petals yellow, 15 mm;

staminal column hairy;

style 9–12-branched.

Schizocarps

subconic, 4–5 mm diam., hairy;

mericarps 5, 3–4 mm, somewhat rugose, apex spined, spines 1 mm, antrorsely hairy.

oblate, 6–7 mm diam., apically hairy;

mericarps 9–12, 5 mm, laterally reticulate, apex spined, spines 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

Sida spinosa

Sida littoralis

Phenology Flowering year-round in warmer areas, summer elsewhere. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Roadsides, pastures, disturbed ground Sand and gravel substrates in forests
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–30 m (0–100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Sida littoralis is found on Captiva and La Costa islands, Lee County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 318. FNA vol. 6, p. 315.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sida Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sida
Sibling taxa
S. abutilifolia, S. antillensis, S. ciliaris, S. cordifolia, S. elliottii, S. glabra, S. hermaphrodita, S. lindheimeri, S. littoralis, S. longipes, S. neomexicana, S. planicaulis, S. rhombifolia, S. rubromarginata, S. santaremensis, S. tragiifolia, S. ulmifolia, S. urens
S. abutilifolia, S. antillensis, S. ciliaris, S. cordifolia, S. elliottii, S. glabra, S. hermaphrodita, S. lindheimeri, S. longipes, S. neomexicana, S. planicaulis, S. rhombifolia, S. rubromarginata, S. santaremensis, S. spinosa, S. tragiifolia, S. ulmifolia, S. urens
Synonyms S. alba, S. alnifolia, S. angustifolia, S. heterocarpa S. floridana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 683. (1753) Siedo: Phytoneuron 2014-75: 1. (2014)
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