Fan Petals

Sida abutifolia

pen&ink © by Michael Plagens

Drawn from a specimen found at Catalina State Park, Sta. Catalina Mts., AZ. 19 Sept. 1994. Enlarged view of a single-seeded dry fruit segment (shizocarp) at lower right.

RANGE: Upland Sonoran Desert in the foothills around Tucson, Arizona ranging hence south and east.

FRUIT: Breaks apart into separate carpels (shizocarp) each of which has a smooth top and a reticulated base.

PERENNIAL HERB / LOW SHRUB: Slightly woody above crown reaching a meter-and-a-half or so in height. Possesses a long woody taproot.

FLOWERS: smallish, solitary orange-yellow flowers with five wide-spread petals. Numerous stamens typical of Malvaceae united into a stamen tube.

UNARMED.

LEAVES: Usually triangulate with distinctly crenate (rounded) teeth.

Malvaceae -- Mallow Family

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More Information:


Sonoran Desert Field Guide
Sonoran Desert Places
Sonoran Desert Naturalist Home Page


Copyright Michael J. Plagens, page created 6 Nov. 2007,
updated 18 Oct. 2017.