Corchorus olitorius

Corchorus olitorius L., Sp. Pl. 1: 529. 1753; Masters in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 397. 1875; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 65. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Maheshwari, Fl. Delhi. f. 33. 1966; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 199. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 12: 250; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 30; BSI- eFlora of India vol. 3.

Herbs, annual or biennial with a woody base, erect, stout, branched, up to 1.5 m high, ribbed, glabrous to subglabrous. Stipules 8-12 mm long, subulate, glabrous. Leaves alternate, petiolate; petiole 1.5-6 cm long, pubescent; leaf blade 4-11(-15) cm x 3-5 cm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, slightly rounded at base, acute at apex, serrate, basal most serrations prolonged into deflexed filiform 6-8 mm long processes (or appendages), glabrous except sparsely hairy nerves, 3-5-nerved. Flowers 1-3(-4) in leaf-opposed shortly pedunculate cymes, actinomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous, hypogynous, subsessile, 4-5 mm long and 12-15 mm across; bracts 4-5 mm long, subulate. Sepals 5, 5-7 mm x 1.5-3 mm, linear-oblong, keeled, apex apiculate, somewhat bullate outside. Petals 5, yellow, 5-7 mm x 2.5-4 mm, oblong-spathulate, obtuse, emarginate. Stamens many, somewhat united at base; filaments 6-7 mm long; anthers subglobose. Carpels 5, syncarpous; ovary cylindric, pubescent, 5-locular; style short; stigma 5-lobed, minutely papillate. Capsule 1 or 2(-4) together, 2-7 cm long, subcylindric, 4-5 mm across, 10-ribbed, glabrous, 5-loculed; locules septate between seeds; beak entire, 4-8 mm long. Seeds ca. 2 mm x 1.5 mm, trigonous, inconspicuously verrucose, black.

Flowering and Fruiting: August-October
Common Names: Nalta Jute, Jute Mallow, Jew’s Mallow, Tossa Jute; Pat, Patsag, Mitha Pat (Hindi)