Prickly sida

June 12, 2015

Sida spinosa L. Malvaceae (Mallow family)

Life cycle

Erect, branching summer annual.

Leaves

Cotyledons are rounded to heart-shaped with a notch in the tip and short hairs on the surface. Leaves are alternate, egg-shaped to lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches long with toothed margins. Star-shaped hairs make leaf surfaces softly hairy.

prickly sida seedling and leaf
Prickly sida seedling and leaf.

Stems

Erect, up to 2-foot-tall branching stems have spines at the leaf nodes.

Flowers and fruit

Pale yellow, five-petaled flowers are formed alone or in small clusters in the upper leaf axils. Fruit are made up of five spined segments, each containing one seed with one round and two flattened surfaces.

Reproduction

Seeds.

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