Plant Name
Scientific Name: Sida abutifolia
Synonyms: Sida filicaulis, S. filiformis, S. procumbens, S. supina
Common Names: Spreading Fanpetals, Spreading Sida, Procumbent Sida, Prostrate Sida
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual, Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Introduced. This weedy wildflower is native to the American tropics and the Caribbean.
Habitat: Desert (upper elevation), Upland
Flower Color: Yellow, Pale orange, Cream
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Height: Trailing up to 2 feet (61 cm) long
Description: The flowers emerge singly from the leaf axils. The individual flowers are 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and have 5 fan-shaped, notched, lopsided petals. The leaves have scalloped edges and are hairy, dark green, and lanceolate to rounded in shape. The stems are hairy, prostrate, and often reddish brown in color.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae – Mallow family
Genus: Sida L. – fanpetals
Species: Sida abutifolia Mill. – spreading fanpetals
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