Abutilon mauritianum subsp. mauritianum

Malvaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit

Erect to spreading, occasionally decumbent to subscandent suffrutex or shrub up to c. 1 m. tall, biennial or perennial, varying from sparsely and sometimes minutely stellate- or glandular-pubescent to stellate-tomentose, sometimes also with longer patent hairs or fairly densely pilose; stems herbaceous or wiry, terete, slender, reddish or yellowish or greenish, ultimately glabrous and covered with a thin dark-grey to brown dark purple or black thin smooth or finely fissured bark.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-lamina 2–8 × 1–7 cm., usually ovate-pentagonal in outline, often shallowly 3–5-lobed, with a usually deep and narrow basal sinus (the basal lobes sometimes overlapping) and subacute to acute lobes, margin as a rule coarsely and somewhat irregularly crenate to crenate-serrate, both surfaces usually stellate-pubescent but the paler lower surface more densely so or occasionally tomentose; petiole up to c. 8 cm. long, usually slender and hairy like the stems; stipules up to c. 5 mm. long, setaceous, pubescent, usually caducous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers white, pale yellow, cream or orange, with or without a reddish centre, solitary in the upper leaf-axils; pedicels up to c. 5 cm. long, rarely longer, slender, terete, pubescent, articulated in the upper 10–15 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx

Epicalyx rotate; bracts S (6), 7–11 mm. long, oblong to ovate-lanceolate or subrhomboid, acuminate to acuminate-caudate, usually obtuse, 5-nerved, with or without long simple hairs in addition to a stellate pubescence, usually ciliate, green and herbaceous but accrescent in fruit and ultimately light brown.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx campanulate-cupulate, paler and thinner in texture than the epicalyx, variously pubescent, usually divided a little beyond the middle; lobes c. 5 mm. long, broadly ovate to somewhat rhombic, acute or shortly acuminate, 5-nerved.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 10–15 mm. long, often sparsely and finely stellate-pubescent outside towards the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Staminal tube usually glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Mericarps c. 5 × 4 × 3 mm., yellow or light brown when ripe, obliquely triquetrous-obovoid, muticous, dorsally keeled and with warty protuberances or muricate, laterally with 4–5 ridges, the latter and the protuberances often crowned with sparse stellate hairs (at least when immature).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds c. 3–5 × 2 mm., obliquely obovoid-pyriform, somewhat angular, glabrous.