Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. 1,54. 1826; Masters in Fl. Brit. India 1: 326. 1874; emend. Hoehr. in Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Gener. 6: 19. 1902. Sida indica L. in Torner, Cent. pl. 2: 26.1756.

Annual or perennial herbs or undershrubs, up to 3 m high; stems, petioles and pedicels densely or sparsely velutinous with minute stellate and simple hairs. Leaves ovate to suborbicular, cordate at base, acute or acuminate at apex; petioles 2 - 18 cm long, hairy. Flowers axillary, solitary; pedicels longer than petioles, jointed towards apex, accrescent and geniculate. Calyx 5 - 8 mm across. Corolla 1.5 - 2.5 cm in diam. t yellow to orange; petals broadly obovate, truncate, rounded or emarginate at apex, ciIiate at base. Staminal column 5 - 7 mm long, basal part conical, stellate-hairy, upper portion tubular, glabrous. Schizocarps 1.5 - 2.5 cm in diam., globular, flat or slightly indented at apex; mericarps 15 - 27, reniform, upper part with a short acute mucro, dorsally and ventrally stellate-hairy, laterally glabrous, smooth, blackish, 2 - 3-seeded. Seeds 2 - 3 mm in diam., reniform, minutely stellate-hairy or glabrescent, brownish black.

KEY TO THE SUBSPECIES

1a. Calyx shorter than schizocarp. lobea apreading at maturity; mericarps shortly acuminate at apex

4.3. indicum

b. Calyx about as long as schizocarp, lobes appressed; mericarps obtuse or rounded to acute at apex, with an erect acumen

2

2a. Leaves obtuse to acute or shortly acuminate at apex, coarsely stellate-hairy; mericarps long acute at apex, dorsally

4.2. guineeosis

b. Leaves long acuminate at apex, velutinous by small stellate hairs mericarps usually rounded or obtuse rarely long acute at apex, dorsally tomentose

4.1. albescens

List of Lower Taxa