Hairy Indian Mallow

It is cultivated for its fibres and as an ornamental plant. In Pakistan it is occasionally grown for ornamental purposes.

A shrub, 1-3 m tall, branches, petiole and pedicel densely, viscid, stellate pubescent and long, spreading, simple hairy, hispid on the stem. Leaves with 4.10 cm long petiole; stipules 8-15 mm long, stellate pubescent, linear- lanceolate, long acuminate; blade 3-18 cm long, 2-13 cm broad, usually broadly ovate or lanceolate or somewhat orbicular. rarely 3-angular, coarsely serrate, long acuminate to obtuse, deeply cordate, densely stellate pubescent on both sides, scabrulous above, velutinous beneath, 7-9 nerved. Flowers axillary, 1-3 or paired an a common peduncle, pedicel equalling to or longer than the petiole, articulate near the apex. Sepals fused at the base, 1-1.5 cm long, 5-7 mm broad, lanceolate, in fruit up to 2.5 cm long, 1.5 cm broad, ovate, densely stellate pubescent on both sides, also dense simple hairy towards base within. Corolla 2-3.5 cm across, yellow; petals 1-1.5 cm long and broad; broadly obovate, ciliate. Stamina] column stellate hairy, included. Ovary globose densely stellate pubescent, 2-3 mm across. Fruit ovoid-globular 1-1.5 cm across, stellate pubescent; mericarps 10, shortly beaked, 5-7 mm broad. Seeds 2-3 per mericarp, c. 2 mm across.

Distribution: Tropical America and Africa, introduced in other countries.