Wissadula periplocifolia (L.) Thwaites

White velvetleaf (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malvales > Malvaceae > Wissadula

Characteristics

Herb or suffrutex, the stem erect, to 1.2 m high, the branches elongate, slender, more or less minutely stellate-tomentellous when young. Leaves with the petiole much shorter than the blade, 0.3-5 cm long, minutely stellate-tomentellous, the stipules very small, subulate, 1.5-3 mm long, early caducous; blade narrowly trian-gular to triangular, truncate to shallowly cordate with a very open sinus at the base, obtuse and inconspicuously mucronulate at the apex, entire-margined, up to 14 cm long and 6 cm broad, gradually smaller toward the apex, chartaceous, con-spicuously discolor, usually 5-palminerved, the upper surface green or dark green and more or less densely and minutely stellate-puberulus, the lower surface pale, minutely and softly stellate-tomentellous and with the venation prominent. Flowers axillary and solitary, forming very open, terminal, paniculiform inflores-censes, the pedicels elongate, filiform, articulated above the middle, up to 5 cm long, more or less densely puberulus with minute, simple (and somewhat glandu-lar?) and/or stellate hairs especially toward the apex; calyx campanulate-turbinate, lobed mostly to slightly below the middle, ca 2.5-3 mm long, more or less densely puberulus with minute, simple or stellate hairs, the lobes deltoid, acute, ca 1.5-2 mm long and broad at the base; petals broadly obovate-cuneate, ca 5 mm long and 3 mm broad, pale buff or pale yellow, the claw minutely ciliolate; androecium ca 2.5 mm long, the staminal tube only ca 1 mm long; styles ca 4 mm long, con-nate basally. Fruit turbinate, 5-lobed, constricted below the middle, the mericarps 5, 5-7 mm long, minutely puberulus especially above, apiculate and with the apiculum ca 0.5-1 mm long; seeds 3, reniform-subglobose, ca 1.5-2 mm in diam, more or less densely whitish-puberulus, the indumentum of the lower seed denser than that of the 2 upper seeds.
More
Subshrubs, ca. 1 m tall. Stems densely fawn stellate puberulent, with both stellate and simple hairs. Stipules subulate, ca. 3 mm; petiole 0.3-2 cm, stellate tomentose and with twisted hairs; leaf blade long triangular, ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 3-7 × 1.5-2.5 cm, abaxially stellate tomentose, adaxially minutely stellate pubescent, base truncate to subcordate, margin entire or shallowly undulate, apex long acuminate to acute. Lower flow-ers solitary, axillary, upper flowers in lax, terminal panicles to 80 cm. Pedicel 1-2 cm, to 4 cm in fruit, puberulent, articulate near tip. Calyx cup-shaped, ca. 3 mm, lobes ovate to triangular, acute. Corolla pale yellow, ca. 7 mm in diam.; petals obovate, ca. 4 mm. Staminal column glabrous, free filaments many, 1-2 mm. Style short. Pseudocapsule obconic, ca. 1 cm in diam., apically truncate; mericarps with a short mucro, abaxially rounded, subglabrous. Seeds black, ca. 3 mm, single proximal seed densely hairy with simple long hairs, 2 distal seeds stellate hairy or with simple hairs. Fl. Sep-Feb.
Plants widely branched, 1–2 m. Stems slender, stellate-hairy, hairs often stipitate (especially on younger growth). Leaves distalmost subsessile; stipules subulate, 4–5 mm; petiole 1–5 cm, reduced distally, 1/4–1/2 length of blade; blade markedly discolorous, ovate-triangular, 4–11 cm (reduced distally), base shallowly cordate, margins straight, apex acute. Inflorescences open panicles, ± ebracteate. Pedicels 1.5–5 cm. Flowers: calyx 1/2-divided, 2.5–3 mm; petals yellowish or white, sometimes with dark red basal spot, 3–4 mm. Schizocarps minutely puberulent; mericarps 4 or 5, 5–6 mm. Seeds 2.5 mm, sparsely to densely hairy. 2n = 14.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support -
Foliage retention
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.0 - 1.1
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Thickets near sea level, dry slopes, roadsides. Moist thickets, wet forest, and brushy slopes in tropical America.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

Uses fiber material medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use Medicine (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Wissadula periplocifolia world distribution map, present in Brazil, China, Panama, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1213890-2
WFO ID wfo-0000427236
COL ID 5C2GF
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 637352
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Wissadula zeylanica Sida periplocifolia Abutilon periplocifolium Wissadula periplocifolia Abutilon hastatum Abutilon periplocifolium var. peruvianum Abutilon periplocifolium var. zeylanicum Sida periplocifolia var. zeylanica Wissadula periplocifolia var. antillarum Wissadula periplocifolia var. fadyenii Wissadula periplocifolia var. gracillima Wissadula periplocifolia var. heterosperma