Velvetleaf
June 16, 2015
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EmailAbutilon theophrasti Medicus Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Life cycle
Erect summer annual.
Velvetleaf plant.
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.
Velvetleaf seedling.
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-inch-wide, 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.
Velvetleaf fruit and flower.
Reproduction
Seeds.
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