Malvaceae
Melochia

Melochia corchorifolia L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 675 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical Old World. It is an annual or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Sterculiaceae, Martin Cheek & Laurence Dorr; Nesogordonia, Laurence Dorr, Lisa Barnett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Type
Lectotype (“as type”), selected by Goldberg (1967: 305): India, “Melochia corchori folio,” Dillenius, Hort Eltham.: t. 176, fig. 217 (1732), based on a specimen in Herb. Dillenius (OXF)
Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herb or subshrub, 0.4–2.5 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or decumbent, with scattered stellate and sometimes also bifurcate and simple hairs, often with a line of stellate hairs decurrent from the stipule bases
Morphology Leaves
Leaves narrowly ovate or ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–7.5 cm long, 0.8–3.8 cm wide, apex acute, margin irregularly crenate-serrate, base cuneate to truncate, membranaceous, sparsely hispidulous, a few simple (rarely stellate) hairs on the midrib above and veins below; 5-nerved; petiole 0.4–3.8 cm long, pubescent on the upper surface at least with mostly simple but also bifurcate and stellate hairs; stipules subulate-lanceolate, 6–10 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, margins ciliolate, often persisting
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences dense terminal or rarely axillary cymes with 5–25 flowers each; peduncle to 7.5 cm long, hispidulous; bracts numerous, 8–9 mm long, 0.5–2 mm wide, outer bracts stipule-like, subulatelanceolate to falcate, inner ones linear to filiform, often the 4 bracts immediately subtending the calyx forming an involucre, margins ciliolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers homomorphic (all brevistylous in material examined)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx campanulate, 2–3.5 mm long, hispidulous without, glabrous within, the lobes widely deltoid, 0.4–0.6 mm long, 0.8–1 mm wide, with abruptly acuminate teeth, margins ciliolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals obovate to oblanceolate, shortly clawed, 3–5.5(–8) mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, white with yellow (or green) throat, rarely yellow, pink or pale pink (Zanzibar material), glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens adherent to the petals below, or almost entirely free, ± 2–2.5 mm long, filaments united in a tube almost to apex, ± 2 mm long, free portion of filaments at most 1 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary oblong-ovoid, 1.5–2(–3) mm long, 1–2 mm in diameter; densely pilose; styles ± 1–1.5 mm long, free or sometimes slightly connate below, papillate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule depressed-globose with 5 ± rounded angles, 4–5 mm long, 4–5 mm in diameter, hispidulous; 1(–2) seed per loculus.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ± trigonal with rounded dorsal and two flat surfaces, 2–2.5 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, blackish-brown or greyish, testa minutely striate
Figures
Fig. 21, p 124
Ecology
A weed of cultivation, roadsides, and grassland, often in wet areas; 0–950 m
Conservation
A widespread and common weedy species, here assessed as of Least Concern for conservation.
Distribution
Range: Tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and Australia Flora districts: U2 U3 U 4 ; K7 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T8 Z P Range: Introduced in tropical and subtropical America
[FTEA]

Sterculiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual herb up to c. 2 m. tall but often less; stems glabrescent but with a line of stellate hairs decurrent from the stipule bases.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to c. 7 × 4·5 cm., oblong-lanceolate, narrowly ovate or ovate, apex acute, margin acutely serrate, base broadly cuneate or truncate and 5-nerved, thinly hispidulous at least on the nerves below; petiole up to 2·3 cm. long, pubescent at least on the upper surface; stipules c. 1 cm. long, subulate-lanceolate, margins ciliolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers numerous, in dense terminal or axillary cymes; peduncle up to 5 cm. long; pedicels 1–3 mm. long, hispidulous; bracts 4–10 mm. long, numerous, subulate-lanceolate, ciliolate at the margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3 mm. long, campanulate, with very short abruptly acuminate teeth, ciliolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white, yellow at the base inside, c. 8 mm., obovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens adherent to the petals below; filaments united in a tube almost to the apex, about 1/2 the length of the petals, free portion of filaments c. 1 mm. long; pairs of anther-thecae connate in the lower half, free above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary oblong-ovoid, densely pilose; styles 5, slightly connate below, c. 2 mm. long, hirsute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 5 mm. in diam., subglobose, hispidulous, 5-valved, surrounded by the persistent calyx and bracts.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 3 × 2·5 mm., 1 per loculus, dark brown or greyish, 3-sided; testa minutely striate.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/168972/1259353

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sterculiaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Herb or undershrub, -11/2–2 ft. or more
Morphology Stem
Hollow stems, erect or sometimes prostrate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, white or sometimes yellowish or pinkish
Ecology
More common in wet places.
[FWTA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial erect to ascending herb up to 1 m or more tall; young stems pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with up to c. 2 cm long petiole, pubescent at least on upper side; stipules up to c. 9 mm long, lanceolate; blade pubescent to subglabrous, lanceolate to ovate, 1–7.5 x 0.3–4.5 cm, rounded to truncate at the base, acute at the apex, with serrate margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in dense terminal or axillary cymes; pedicels up to 3 mm long; bracts up to 7 mm long, several
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Calyx 2–2.5 mm long, hirsute. Petals usually white, c. 5–6 mm long, obovate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers obtuse
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles c. 1.5 mm long, slightly united below
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 4–5 mm in diam., subglobose, hirsute
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 2.5–3 x 1.5–2 mm, dark brown, minutely striate.
Distribution
S2 widespread in the Old World tropics and subtropics, introduced in America.
Ecology
Low altitude.
[FSOM]

Uses

Use
In Kenya, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable ( Graham 1717). They are also used to treat unspecified stomach diseases ( Jeffrey K.518).
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0