Japanese name: アメリカキンゴジカ Scientific name:Sida spinosa
[Overview]
An annual or perennial 30–60 cm tall found along roadsides and on riverbanks.
The stem bears stellate hairs, and the base becomes woody and branches.
The leaves are simple and alternate, about 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, oblong to ovate-lanceolate and widest in the lower part, with a base that is shallowly heart-shaped to truncate.
The undersides of the leaves are densely covered with stellate hairs, and the leaf margins have blunt serrations.
The leaves have petioles, the stipules are linear, and there are short, downward-pointing spiny projections at the base of the petiole.
Clusters of 1–6 flowers grow at the stem tips and in the leaf axils, blooming from the lower part of the stem upward.
The flowers are pale yellow, 5-petaled, 1–1.5 cm across, and the staminal column is short.
Each flower withers within a few hours.
The calyx is 5-lobed and bears stellate hairs.
The fruit consists of 5 mericarps arranged in a ring and enclosed by the calyx.
Each mericarp has 2 horn-like projections at the tip.
