Abelmoschus manihot subsp. tetraphyllus

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Abelmoschus manihot subsp. tetraphyllus is a shrub or subshrub in the mallow family, Malvaceae. Its native range extends from Pakistan through parts of southern Asia and the Malay Archipelago to New Guinea and northeastern Queensland. It is also known by the species name Abelmoschus tetraphyllus.

Description

PROSEA's account, which treats the plant at species rank, describes a shrub about 2–3 metres tall with branching, prickly-haired stems. Its leaves vary considerably: some are narrow, others heart-shaped or deeply divided into three to seven lobes. The five-petalled flowers are pale yellow with a dark reddish or brownish centre and measure about 7–15 cm across. Hairy capsules, generally with five angles, split to release numerous black seeds.

Habitat and uses

PROSEA records it in secondary vegetation, forest clearings, abandoned cultivation and waste ground, at elevations reaching about 1,600 metres. Bark fibres have been used locally for cordage in India and the Philippines.

India Flora Online records the subspecies in deciduous forest and gives October to January as its flowering and fruiting season in that regional account. Those dates should not be assumed to apply throughout its much wider range.

Classification

The name originated as Hibiscus tetraphyllus, published in 1815. It was subsequently placed in Abelmoschus. Van Borssum Waalkes published the subspecies combination in 1966; this is the treatment accepted by Plants of the World Online. Literature using A. tetraphyllus treats it at a different rank, so descriptions and comparisons need to be read in their taxonomic context.