velvet-leaf
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Introduction
Velvet-leaf in an introduced species in North America that originates in China and was introduced to the New World before 1750 as a potential fiber crop. It is now found across the continental US and in all southern Canadian provinces except Labrador (USDA 2011). Previously known only from the Fraser Valley in BC, it now found in several locations beyond that region.
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Species Information
General:
Annual from a taproot; stems erect, several, branched, soft-hairy with star-shaped hairs, 1-2 m tall.
Leaves:
Alternate, heart-shaped, 10-20 cm wide, tapering to concave points, densely hairy to woolly, the hairs star-shaped; stalks 10-20 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary, axillary flowers on stalks 2-3 cm long; petals 5, yellow, 6-8 mm long; calyces 5-lobed, the lobes pointed.
Fruits:
Carpels, usually 10-15, densely hairy with horizontally spreading beaks, the beaks 3-5 mm long; seeds 2-9.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Habitat and Range
Mesic fields and waste places in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known only from the lower Fraser Valley; introduced from Asia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Abutilon abutilon (L.) Rusby
Abutilon avicennae Gaertn.
Taxonomic Keys
KEY TO MALVACEAE
1. Stigmas extending full length on the inner surfaces of the style branches.
2. Calyces with basal bractlets; carpels beakless ....................Malva 1. Stigmas terminal and head-like.
3. Leaves heart-shaped and toothed; petals yellow...............Abutilon
4. Petals usually more than 2 cm long; leaves 4-15 cm long; carpels glabrous on the sides, opening the full length at maturity.........................Iliamna Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia |