Abelmoschus ficulneus
Encyclopedia
Abelmoschus ficulneus is a species of flowering plant
in the genus Abelmoschus
, family Malvaceae
. Commonly known
as White Wild Musk Mallow or Native Rosella, it is fibrous
perennial with a woody stem
. Its flowers are about an inch in diameter, either pink or white, with a rose center; its leaves are palmate.
The species grows as a small erect shrub, 2 to 5 ft (0.6096 to 1.5 m) tall and 2 to 6 ft (0.6096 to 1.8 ) across. Leaves are 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 ) long and 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 ) wide, with a circular shape (heart-shaped near base). Leaves are rough on both sides, toothed, and have 3 to 5 lobes
. Flower stock are covered in velvety hair, and the flowers themselves are 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 ) across. The stocks are short and colored white to pink with a dark purple center. Flower
s last a few days. The plant has small hairs which may cause irritation. The plant's seed heads are hairy and sticky, ovalar in shape and 2.5–4 cm (0.984251968503937–1.6 in) long and 1.3 – wide, with five ribs and a short beak. Seeds that are still in their growth period are medium to dark green, and when they are mature they turn dark brown, and split into five parts to release 10 to 20 brown to black spherical seeds, covered in tiny hairs.
Abelmoschus ficulneus germinates
in the spring and summer months, after the effects of rainfall and irrigation have set in. The plant grows rapidly over spring and summer several months after emergence, through autumn. Mature seeds are produced within a month of flowering in the late summer and autumn seasons.
The species is native to India
, Pakistan
, Sri Lanka
, Malaysia, Madagascar
and also northern Australia
where it has become a common crop weed, particularly in cotton
.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the genus Abelmoschus
Abelmoschus
Abelmoschus is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, native to tropical Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It was formerly included within Hibiscus, but is now classified as a distinct genus....
, family Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
. Commonly known
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
as White Wild Musk Mallow or Native Rosella, it is fibrous
Fiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
perennial with a woody stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
. Its flowers are about an inch in diameter, either pink or white, with a rose center; its leaves are palmate.
The species grows as a small erect shrub, 2 to 5 ft (0.6096 to 1.5 m) tall and 2 to 6 ft (0.6096 to 1.8 ) across. Leaves are 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 ) long and 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 ) wide, with a circular shape (heart-shaped near base). Leaves are rough on both sides, toothed, and have 3 to 5 lobes
Lobe (anatomy)
In anatomy, a lobe is a clear anatomical division or extension that can be determined without the use of a microscope This is in contrast to a lobule, which is a clear division only visible histologically....
. Flower stock are covered in velvety hair, and the flowers themselves are 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 ) across. The stocks are short and colored white to pink with a dark purple center. Flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s last a few days. The plant has small hairs which may cause irritation. The plant's seed heads are hairy and sticky, ovalar in shape and 2.5–4 cm (0.984251968503937–1.6 in) long and 1.3 – wide, with five ribs and a short beak. Seeds that are still in their growth period are medium to dark green, and when they are mature they turn dark brown, and split into five parts to release 10 to 20 brown to black spherical seeds, covered in tiny hairs.
Abelmoschus ficulneus germinates
Germination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
in the spring and summer months, after the effects of rainfall and irrigation have set in. The plant grows rapidly over spring and summer several months after emergence, through autumn. Mature seeds are produced within a month of flowering in the late summer and autumn seasons.
The species is native to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Malaysia, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and also northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where it has become a common crop weed, particularly in cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.