Prickly fanpetals (Sida spinosa)

Prickly fanpetals (Sida spinosa) is plant species in the Malvaceae, annual or perennial shrubs, erect, up to 1 meter tall, woody stems, cylindrical, branched, rootstock light brown and leathery, scion green or reddish.

S. spinosa has leaves with stalks 2-20 mm long and 1-3 spiny tubercles on the stem at the base of the petiole. The blade is 0.5-4 cm long, 0.3-2.5 cm wide, elongated, oval or slightly rounded at the base, the margins are serrated and tapered at the tip.

The flowers grow in the axils of the leaves, fan-shaped, 5 lobes, white or yellow, the pistil and the middle are yellow.

The fruit is globose, pubescent on top, cracked at the apex but the seeds are detached from the crushed base. Seeds are 1.5 mm long, glabrous and brown to black.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Malveae
Genus: Sida
Species: Sida spinosa

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