Malvaceae
Corchorus

Corchorus urticifolius Wight & Arn.

First published in Prodr. Fl. Ind. Orient. 1: 73 (1834)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to Tanzania, W. & S. India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Tiliaceae, C. Whitehouse, M. Cheek, S. Andrews & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Erect to semi-prostrate annual herb up to 25 cm in height; stems sparsely pilose, denser down one side.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves narrowly ovate to ovate, 4–8.3 cm long, 1.5–4.3 cm wide, margins coarsely serrate, without basal setae, rounded at base, acuminate to acute, sparsely setulose above, more setulose beneath mainly on veins and midrib; petioles 0.3–1.7(–3) cm long, pilose especially on one surface; stipules up to 1.5 mm long, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences of 1–4-flowered pilose fascicles; peduncles up to 1.5 mm; pedicels up to 1 mm, pilose to sparsely so, bracts membranous, up to 1 mm long, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4, 3.2–6.4 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 4, 3.5–5.3 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, pale yellow, obovate, with ciliate claw at base; stamens ± 15, to 4 mm long; ovary oblong, densely strigose, 2 mm long, 1 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule solitary or in 2s or 3s, rarely 4s, cylindric to trigonous, straight or slightly curved, often reflexed, 1.5–2.7 cm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, splitting into 3 valves, pilose or sparsely so.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds angular, ± 1 mm long, reticulate with concave sides, blackish.
Figures
Fig. 18/6 (fruit, p. 103).
Habitat
Dense Commiphora bushland on sandy soil; 300–1050 m
Distribution
K1 K4 T1 T2 T4 T5 native of India and Sri Lanka
[FTEA]

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual herb, up to 40 cm tall; stems sparsely pilose and usually with a denser band of crisped hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sparsely setulose on veins; petiole 3–16 mm long; blade narrowly ovate to ovate, 1.5–3 x 1–2 cm, acute to acuminate at the apex, rounded to truncate and without setae at the base; margin serrate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in 1–2-flowered sparsely pilose clusters; peduncle and pedicels up to 2 mm long, in solitary flowers reflexed, in paired flowers one reflexed and one curved upwards
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4, 3–6 x 0.5–1 mm, pilose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 4, 3.5–5 x 1–2 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens c. 10
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary densely strigose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 3-valved, 1–1.5 cm long, cylindric to trigonous, pilose or sparsely so, straight to slightly curved, reflexed if solitary, one reflexed and one pointing upwards if paired
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 1.5 mm long, pitted.
Distribution
N2; S1; Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, S India, Sri Lanka
Ecology
Altitude range 190–500 m.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

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