Velvetleaf – Abutilon theophrasti
Abutilon theophrasti Medicus
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
MI Status
Non-native
Life cycle
Erect summer annual.
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.



Other Documents in this Series
You Might Also Be Interested In
-
MSU named Top 10 agriculture and forestry college in new report
Published on March 23, 2021
-
Student-led bird banding innovation spearheads continuation of data collection despite COVID-19
Published on March 16, 2021
-
Creating innovative models to assess spread, possible management of deadly chronic wasting disease
Published on February 1, 2021
-
Improving the health of Michigan’s fishes
Published on February 1, 2021
-
New trail makes nature more accessible at the MSU Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center
Published on August 25, 2021
-
MSU researcher awarded five-year, $2.5 million grant to develop risk assessment training program
Published on October 13, 2020
Accessibility Questions:
For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.