Sida mysorensis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Sida mysorensis Wight & Arnott

Family: Malvaceae

Synonyms

Sida glutinosa Roxb.

Vernacular names

• Philippines: lagkitan, damong-mabaho, marbas (Tagalog).

Distribution

Throughout South and South-East Asia.

Uses

In the Philippines the bast fibres are used to make rope.

Observations

An erect, viscid undershrub, 0.5-1.5 m tall. Stems, petioles and pedicels with patent simple hairs, gland hairs and minute, stellate hairs. Leaves simple, alternate; stipules filiform, 3-7 mm long; petiole 1-5 cm; blade usually ovate, 2-9 cm × 1-7 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate, palminerved, 5-9veined. Flowers axillary, initially solitary, by development of accessory buds finally in condensed racemes or panicles; pedicel thin, jointed, 4-15 mm long; calyx widely campanulate, 6-8 mm long, 4.5-5 mm in diameter, 5-fid; corolla 10-12 mm in diameter with 5 obtriangular petals, yellow. Fruit a pyramidal schizocarp, 3-3.5 mm in diameter; mericarps 5. Seed ovoid, faintly trigonous, about 2 mm long, brownblack. S. mysorensis is found in waste places and on road-sides up to about 700 m altitude. S. mysorensis and S. glabra Mill. have often been confused but in the field distinction is possible by the different leaf-venation.

Selected sources

6, 19, 189.

Authors

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch