Velvetleaf – Abutilon theophrasti
Velvetleaf
Abutilon theophrasti Medicus
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Life cycle
Erect summer annual. nearly as wide with narrow, pointed tips and long, slender petioles. Leaves have round-toothed margins and softly hairy surfaces that feel velvety.
Leaves
Seedlings have one heart-shaped cotyledon and one nearly round cotyledon with short hairs on both surfaces. Leaves are alternate, broadly heart-shaped, 3 to 8 inches long and nearly as wide with narrow, pointed tips and long, slender petioles. Leaves have round-toothed margins and softly hairy surfaces that feel velvety.
Stems
Erect, up to 7-foot-tall stems with little branching are covered with short, velvety hairs and may persist through the winter.
Flowers and fruit
Yellow to yellow-orange five-petaled flowers form solitarily on short stalks in the upper leaf axils. Fruit are approximately 1-inchwide, bowl-shaped, green capsules that turn dark brown at maturity. Each capsule has nine to 15 compartments, each containing three to nine grayish brown, somewhat flattened and notched seeds.
Reproduction
Seeds.
