Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet

Abutilon species are herbs, undershrubs or shrubs. Erect or procument, Branches with simple prickly or stellate hairs. Leaves simple or sometimes lobed, alternate, usually base cordate, margins crenate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate, palminerved without nectaries, petiolate, stipules persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary or aggregated lax panicles or corymbose racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate, base connate, valvate, corolla large, 5, yellow, white, orange, sometimes with dark colored in the centre. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, filaments short, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, 5-20 locular, ovules 2-9 per carpel, style branched 5-40, filiform to clavate, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, campanulate, apex biaristate or acuminate, usually black when mature, with 5-40 mericarps, dehiscent, with a slender truncate columella scar when fallen. Seed many, reniform or subreniform, smooth, glabrous or shortly pubescent.

Shrub

Flowering & Fruiting: September-April

Fl.& Fr.: September – April

Abutilon species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: September—April.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual or perennial or undershrubs, about 1-3 m tall. Stems and branches densely or sparely velutinous with simple minute stellate hairs and grayish pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular, about 4-12 x 3.5-8.5 cm across, base cordate, margins irregularly sparsely crenate-dentate, apex acute to shallow acuminate, densely or sparsely velutinous with minute stellate simple hairs both above and beneath, petiole, densely or sparsely velutinous with minute stellate simple hairs, about 2-18 cm long, stipules subulate. Inflorescence usually axillary, solitary or aggregated lax panicles. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed in the upper half or apex, velutinous, about 2-4 cm long, epicalyx absent, calyx 5 lobed, campanulate, base connate, valvate, divided from middle, spreading at maturity, shorter or as long as the schizocarp, about 5-8 mm across, lobes ovate, apex acute, densely pubescent with simple and stellate hairs outside, simple long hairs inside, about 5-8 mm across, corolla large, 5, yellow, sometimes with dark colored in the centre, petals obovate, glabrous, about 1.5-2.5 x 6-9 mm across. Stamens usually shorter than petals, base wide, conical, stellate hairy, about 5-7 mm long, filaments somewhat tubular, anthers basifixed, usually clustered. Ovary superior, 15-20 locular, ovules 2-9 per carpel, style branched filiform, stigma capitate. Fruit schizocarp, ovoid-subglobular, about 1.5-2.5 cm across, campanulate, apex biaristate or slightly indented, usually brownish black when mature, with 15-17 mericarps, reniform, margins stellate hairs, laterally glabrous, stellate hairy on ventral side, apex bidentate, dehiscent, shortly acuminate at apex. Seed many, reniform or subreniform, about 2-3 mm across, shortly stellate pubescent, dark brownish black.

Herbs, ca. 3 m in height; branches terete, downly tomentose; stem covered with soft velvety tomentum. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; stipules linear ca. 2-5 mm long, petioles ca. 2-18 cm long, stellate pubescent mixed with sparse, simple, spreading hairs; lamina ca. 1.7-15 x 1-12 cm, cordate at base, acute or acuminate at apex, irregularly dentate, stellate pubescent above, grey felted beneath; palmately 5-9 nerved at base; secondary nerves 2-3 pairs. Flowers axillary, solitary, ca. 2.5 cm in diam., golden-yellow; pedicel ca. 4 cm, articulate near apex, grey stellate puberulent; calyx ca. 6-10 mm in diam., green, disk-shaped, densely grey puberulent, lobes 5, broadly ovate, apex acute, corolla uniformly yellow; petals obovate, 1-1.5 cm long and broad, claw hairy on the margin; staminal column 5-7 mm long, stellate pubescent; Schizocarps ca. 1.5-2.5 cm in diam., globular, flat or slightly indented at apex; mericarps 15-27, blackish, reniform, upper part with a short acute mucro, dorsally and ventrally stellate-hairy, laterally glabrous, smooth. Seeds 2-3, ca. 1.5-2 mm in diam., black brownish, reniform, minutely stellate-hairy or glabrescent.

Shrubs, 2-3 m. Leaves ovate, base cordate, 3, 5 or 7-lobed ; petioles 1.5-12 cm ; stipules 0.5-1.5 cm, linear . Flowers axillary, solitary. Epicalyx 1.5-31-2.5 cm, ovate. Sepals ca 5 mm, cupular. Petals 3-4cm , pale yellow, obovate. Capsules 1.5-3cm across ovoid or globular, beaked

Abutilon species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Waste places

Tropical and subtropical places as a weed, altitude up to 1200 m.

Waste places,hedges and forest

Bongaigaon, Darrang, Nagaon, Kamrup

Common

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Threats recoded

It is found growing wild in the tropical forest

Leaves made into a chutney, when consumed helps to relieve indigestion. Fresh leaves fried in ghee and consumed with cooked rice aid in curing piles.

Leaves, bark, seed and roots used in Sidha, Ayurvedic, Unani and folk medicines.

Indigenous Information: The leaves are crushed and applied to heal sprains.

The plant is medicinal; roots, barks and leaves are used in Ayurvedic and Unani system of medicine.