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Sida spinosa L.
Family Malvaceae
Sida spinosa L. APNI*

Description: Erect subshrub to 1 m high, with stellate tomentum, often glabrescent.

Leaves ovate-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 10–40 mm long, 2–7 mm wide, apex usually acute, base subcordate, margins crenate-serrate, surfaces stellate-pubescent (sometimes intermingled with simple hairs on upper surface), dark green above, paler with denser pubescence below; petioles with a small spine-like tubercle on stem just below its attachment; stipules subulate, 3–6 mm long, pubescent.

Flowers solitary or 2–5 together in the axils on pulvinate pedicels 0.5–1 cm long elongating to 15 mm long in fruit. Calyx basally 10-ribbed, c. 5 mm long, finely stellate-tomentose, lobes triangular. Petals yellow, rarely white, 5–7 mm long.

Fruit subconic, 4–6 mm diam., pubescent to glabrous; mericarps mostly 5, somewhat rugose on back, apex acute with 2 points c. 1 mm long with spreading to antrorse hairs.


Habit
Photo J. R. Hosking

Fruit
Photo J. R. Hosking

Herbarium
Sheet

Distribution and occurrence: Weed of disturbed sites. Native to the New and Old World tropics
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *NWS, *CWS, *NWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *N.T.
AVH map***

The specific epithet refers to a small tubercle sometimes present on the abaxial side of the petiole at the junction with the stem. It is not a spine and occasionally is absent.

Text by A. S. Mitchell & E. H. Norris
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)


APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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