Abutilon theophrasti Medik.

Abutilon species are herbs, undershrubs or shrubs. Erect or procument, Branches with simple prickly or stellate hairs. Leaves simple or sometimes lobed, alternate, usually base cordate, margins crenate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate, palminerved without nectaries, petiolate, stipules persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary or aggregated lax panicles or corymbose racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate, base connate, valvate, corolla large, 5, yellow, white, orange, sometimes with dark colored in the centre. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, filaments short, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, 5-20 locular, ovules 2-9 per carpel, style branched 5-40, filiform to clavate, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, campanulate, apex biaristate or acuminate, usually black when mature, with 5-40 mericarps, dehiscent, with a slender truncate columella scar when fallen. Seed many, reniform or subreniform, smooth, glabrous or shortly pubescent.

Abutilon species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: May—August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual herbs or undershrubs, about 0.5-1 m tall. Bark fibrous when mature, stems, branches, petioles and pedicels velutinous with dense stellate hairs and few scattered simple hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate-suborbicular to orbicular, about 3.5-17 x 4-13.5 cm across, base cordate, margins irregularly crenate-dentate or entire, apex acute to shallow acuminate, densely stellate pubescent both above and beneath, with slightly longer hair and denser beneath, petiole, about 4-18 cm long, stipules linear, about 6-8 mm long. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary or aggregated lax panicles or cymes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half, geniculate, stellate pubescent, about 1.5-4.5 cm long, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate or cup shaped, base connate, valvate, divided from middle, about 1 cm across, lobes ovate, apex acute, densely pubescent with simple and stellate hairs outside, simple long hairs inside, about 7-10 x 4-6 mm across, corolla large, 5, yellow, petals obovate, apex rounded, glabrous, about 13-16 x 5-7 mm across. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, stellate hairy, about 2-3 mm long, glabrous, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, about 1-1.5 x 1.5-2 cm across, campanulate, apex biaristate or acuminate, usually black when mature, with 10-16 mericarps, oblong. Seed many, reniform or subreniform, about 3-4 mm across, smooth, brownish black, shortly pubescent.

Abutilon species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: dry deciduous forests

Subtropical and tropical regions, altitude 300-1500 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Stems yield fiber known as “China jute”. Leaves are used in folk medicine.