Abelmoschus angulosus
Wallich ex Wight & Arn., Prodr. 53. 1834. Hibiscus
angulosus (Wallich ex Wight & Arn.) Steudel, Nomen. Bot. ed. 2, 1: 758. 1840; Masters
in Fl. Brit. India 1: 341. 1874, incl. vars.
Guj.: Makhaniyo Bhido.
Herbs or undershrubs, ca 2.5 m high; young branches covered with simple and stellate hairs. Leaves 3 - 15 cm across, transversely elliptic to orbicular, cordate and 5 - 7-nerved at base, palmilobed to-parted, segments 3 - 7, triangular ovate to lanceolate, acute, crenate to serrate, adpressed stiff simple hairy on both surfaces, ultimately glabrescent; petioles longer than lamina; stipules 10 - 15 x 3 - 5 mm. Flowers solitary; pedicels 2 - 6 cm long, accrescent, up to 10 cm. Epicalyx 4 - 5 -parted, segments 2 - 3 x 1 - 2 cm. Calyx ca 3 cm long, membranous, hairy. Corolla yellow with deep purple centre, rarely white, sometimes ultimately deep pink; petals ca 8 x 6 cm, obovate, glabrous. Capsules 3 - 4.5 x 1.5 - 2 cm, ovoid to oblong, acute to acuminate, densely hispid; valves puberulous inside. Seeds 3 - 4 mm long, minutely hairy in concentric rings, blackish.
Fl. & Fr. Throughout the year particularly from Nov. - Feb.
Distrib. India: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia.
Notes. This is an extremely variable sepcies with regard to shape of leaves, colour of corolla and indumentum, but it can be easily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its chartaceous, angular, accrescent epicalyx consisting 4 - 5 connate segments.
Herbs or undershrubs, ca 2.5 m high; young branches covered with simple and stellate hairs. Leaves 3 - 15 cm across, transversely elliptic to orbicular, cordate and 5 - 7-nerved at base, palmilobed to-parted, segments 3 - 7, triangular ovate to lanceolate, acute, crenate to serrate, adpressed stiff simple hairy on both surfaces, ultimately glabrescent; petioles longer than lamina; stipules 10 - 15 x 3 - 5 mm. Flowers solitary; pedicels 2 - 6 cm long, accrescent, up to 10 cm. Epicalyx 4 - 5 -parted, segments 2 - 3 x 1 - 2 cm. Calyx ca 3 cm long, membranous, hairy. Corolla yellow with deep purple centre, rarely white, sometimes ultimately deep pink; petals ca 8 x 6 cm, obovate, glabrous. Capsules 3 - 4.5 x 1.5 - 2 cm, ovoid to oblong, acute to acuminate, densely hispid; valves puberulous inside. Seeds 3 - 4 mm long, minutely hairy in concentric rings, blackish.
Fl. & Fr. Throughout the year particularly from Nov. - Feb.
Distrib. India: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia.
Notes. This is an extremely variable sepcies with regard to shape of leaves, colour of corolla and indumentum, but it can be easily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its chartaceous, angular, accrescent epicalyx consisting 4 - 5 connate segments.
