ABUTILON

Abutilon Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4: [s.p.]. 1754; Boiss., Fl. Or. 1: 835. 1867; Masters in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 325. 1875; Bross., Blumea 14(1): 159. 1966; Hutch., Gen. Fl. Pl. 1: 554. 1967; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 12: 275; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 52; Fryxl & Hill, Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org vol. 6.

Herbs, subshrubs, shrubs or small trees; covered with stellate hairs; sometimes mixed with simple hairs; stipules usually caducous. Leaves alternate, petiolate; leaf blade usually entire, palmately veined, base cordate, margin crenate or serrate. Flowers axillary or subterminal or terminal solitary or in terminal racemes or panicles by the reduction of leaves, actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous. Epicalyx absent. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed. Corolla almost yellow or orange (rarely red), often with dark center, campanulate to wheel-shaped, rarely +/- tubular, petals 5, basally connate and adnate to staminal column. Stamens many, monoadelphous; staminal column included; anthers many, clustered at apex of staminal tube. Carpels 5-many, syncarpous; ovary (5-)7-20-locular, 2-9 ovules per loculus; style branches as many as carpels (loculi), filiform- clavate; stigmas capitate. Fruit schizocarp, subglobose, truncate or cylindric, often blackish when mature, dehiscent, mericarps (5-)7-20, acute to acuminate or obtuse, sometimes 2-awned, 2-9-seeded. Seeds +/- reniform, glabrous or hairy.

177 species

Abutilon indicum

Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed.1: 54. 1826; Masters in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 326. 1875; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 37. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t.38.1983; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur.166-167.2004; Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet var. populifolium (Lam) Wight & Arn., Prodr. 56.1834; Masters in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 326. 1875; Sida indica L., Cent. Pl. 2: 26.1756; S. populifolia Lam., Encycl. 1:7.1783; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 12: 278; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 69.

Erect shrub up to 3 m tall, ca. 2.5 cm in diameter. Stem quite woody when old, stellate pubescent mixed with simple spreading hairs on young stem and branches; branches usually green, sometimes purplish. Stipules ca. 5 mm long, linear, deflexed. Leaves alternate, simple. Petioles 2-18 cm long, stellate pubescent mixed with simple sparse, spreading hairs; leaf blades 2-18.5 cm long and 1.5-16 cm broad, broadly ovate, cordate at base, acute to long acuminate, irregularly coarsely serrate or crenate, base 7-9-nerved, minutely stellate pubescent, velutinous (covered with short dense soft hairs, soft & velvety) and cinereous (ash-grey) on both sides, often mixed with simple hairs. Flowers solitary, axillary, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, grey-stellate puberulent, actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous. Peduncles / pedicels longer than the petioles, jointed near the top. Epicalyx absent. Calyx 7-12 mm long, green, campanulate, lobes 5, shallow, 4-5 mm broad, broadly ovate, apex apiculate or acute, densely grey puberulent. Corolla 2-2.5 cm diameter, uniformly yellow or orange yellow, petals 5, 7-8 mm x 7-8 mm, claw hairy on margins. Stamens many, monoadelphous; staminal column 5-7 mm long, stellate scabrous or pubescent at base. Carpels usually 15-20, sometimes more, syncarpous; ovary 15-20-loculed. Usually 2 ovules per locule; style branches as many as carpels (locules), filiform; stigmas capitate Fruit schizocarp, black, flat topped, ca. 1.5 cm in diameter; mericarps 15-20, 10-18 mm x 7-9 mm, apex acute, with 2 short spreading awns, more or less tomentose according to ripeness. Seeds dark brown, reniform, minutely stellate hairy.

Flowering and Fruiting: September to April
Common Names: Indian Mallow, Indian Abutilon, Country Mallow, Abutilon; Kanghi (Hindi)