Melochia lupulina Sw.
Descripción
An erect herb to trailing suffrutex, often with several slender stems from the base, 0.45-3.6 meters long, the young stems hirsute-tomentose, hairs stellate, forked, simple, and sometimes glandular, 0.2-2 mm. long, internodes 2.5-7.0 cm. long; stipules 3.4-6.0 mm. long, 0.3-1.3 mm. wide, deltoid-acuminate, mostly ciliate, hairs 0.1-1.0 mm. long; petiole 0.7-6.7 cm. long, tomentose, hairs 1-2 mm. long.
Lamina 3-11.8 cm. long, 1.5-8.5 cm. wide, ovate, the base rounded to cordate, the apex acute to subacuminate, the upper surface green, hairs mostly simple, appressed, not much overlapping, sometimes a few stellate and forked, 0.2-1.5 mm. long, more numerous on the lower surface, which is subtomentose, hairs simple, forked, stellate, and sometimes glandular, 0.3-1.5 mm. long, the margin irregularly crenate-serrate, serrations 1-3 mm. wide, 0.6-2.0 mm. high, 7-11 pairs of primary veins, 2 are basal.
Inflorescences axillary, umbellate, clusters at upper 4-16 nodes, usually 2 or 3 clusters per axil, 2-9 flowers in a cluster, the peduncle short and slender, 0.1-0.7 cm. long, 0.3-0.5 mm. wide, the pedicel 1-5 mm. long; bracts 1.5-4.0 mm. long, 0.1-0.7 mm. wide, deltoid-acuminate to sublinear, mostly ciliate, hairs 0.1-1.5 mm. long.
Calyx membranous, greenish white, at anthesis 5.0-5.6 mm. long, 4.5-5.5 mm. wide, accrescent, becoming 8-12.3 mm. long, 12 mm. wide, densely tomentulose, hairs stellate, forked, and sometimes glandular, 0.2-0,5 mm. long, the teeth at anthesis 2.5-3.2 mm. long, 1.7-2.3 mm. wide, becoming 4.3-6.5 mm. long, 3.6-4.6 mm. wide, deltoid-acute to deltoid-acuminate, the sinus acute; petals usually white, sometimes yellowish white or white distally and yellow proximally, 4.5-7.2 mm. long, 1.6-2.1 mm. wide, obovate or oblanceolate, the blade rather sharply demarcated from the claw, claw 0.5-0.7 mm. long, apparently not attached to the staminal tube.
Longistylous form. Stamens 3.3-4.0 mm. long, the filaments united up to the anthers, the anther 1.0-1.2 mm. long, 0.6 mm. wide, emarginate at both ends, nearly to the middle from the apex, sacs divergent at the apex; pistil 4.5-5.8 mm. long, the styles 3.2-4.2 mm. long, free to the ovary, tomentose at the base, papillose at the apex for 0.9 mm., the ovary subglobose, shallowly pentagonal, tomentulose, hairs 0.1 mm. long, the stipe 0.5 mm. long.
Brevistylous form. Stamens 4.2 mm. long, the filaments free for 2 mm., the anther 0.9-1.2 mm. long, 0.5-0.7mm. wide; pistil occasionally of 6 carpels, 2.5 mm. long, the styles 1.5 mm. long, free to the ovary, papillose for 0.5 mm.
Fruit 2.5-3.2 mm. long, 2.9-4.3 mm. wide, globose, pentagonal, the sulci shallow, the cocci compressed, carinate, tomentulose, sometimes also glandular, hairs 0.1 mm. long, the stipe 0.5-0.7 mm. long; dehiscence septicidal into cocci, open along the ventral suture; seeds 1.7-2.2 mm. long, 1.1-1.3 mm. wide, trigonal, the sides flat, the dorsum rounded, brown.A
Lamina 3-11.8 cm. long, 1.5-8.5 cm. wide, ovate, the base rounded to cordate, the apex acute to subacuminate, the upper surface green, hairs mostly simple, appressed, not much overlapping, sometimes a few stellate and forked, 0.2-1.5 mm. long, more numerous on the lower surface, which is subtomentose, hairs simple, forked, stellate, and sometimes glandular, 0.3-1.5 mm. long, the margin irregularly crenate-serrate, serrations 1-3 mm. wide, 0.6-2.0 mm. high, 7-11 pairs of primary veins, 2 are basal.
Inflorescences axillary, umbellate, clusters at upper 4-16 nodes, usually 2 or 3 clusters per axil, 2-9 flowers in a cluster, the peduncle short and slender, 0.1-0.7 cm. long, 0.3-0.5 mm. wide, the pedicel 1-5 mm. long; bracts 1.5-4.0 mm. long, 0.1-0.7 mm. wide, deltoid-acuminate to sublinear, mostly ciliate, hairs 0.1-1.5 mm. long.
Calyx membranous, greenish white, at anthesis 5.0-5.6 mm. long, 4.5-5.5 mm. wide, accrescent, becoming 8-12.3 mm. long, 12 mm. wide, densely tomentulose, hairs stellate, forked, and sometimes glandular, 0.2-0,5 mm. long, the teeth at anthesis 2.5-3.2 mm. long, 1.7-2.3 mm. wide, becoming 4.3-6.5 mm. long, 3.6-4.6 mm. wide, deltoid-acute to deltoid-acuminate, the sinus acute; petals usually white, sometimes yellowish white or white distally and yellow proximally, 4.5-7.2 mm. long, 1.6-2.1 mm. wide, obovate or oblanceolate, the blade rather sharply demarcated from the claw, claw 0.5-0.7 mm. long, apparently not attached to the staminal tube.
Longistylous form. Stamens 3.3-4.0 mm. long, the filaments united up to the anthers, the anther 1.0-1.2 mm. long, 0.6 mm. wide, emarginate at both ends, nearly to the middle from the apex, sacs divergent at the apex; pistil 4.5-5.8 mm. long, the styles 3.2-4.2 mm. long, free to the ovary, tomentose at the base, papillose at the apex for 0.9 mm., the ovary subglobose, shallowly pentagonal, tomentulose, hairs 0.1 mm. long, the stipe 0.5 mm. long.
Brevistylous form. Stamens 4.2 mm. long, the filaments free for 2 mm., the anther 0.9-1.2 mm. long, 0.5-0.7mm. wide; pistil occasionally of 6 carpels, 2.5 mm. long, the styles 1.5 mm. long, free to the ovary, papillose for 0.5 mm.
Fruit 2.5-3.2 mm. long, 2.9-4.3 mm. wide, globose, pentagonal, the sulci shallow, the cocci compressed, carinate, tomentulose, sometimes also glandular, hairs 0.1 mm. long, the stipe 0.5-0.7 mm. long; dehiscence septicidal into cocci, open along the ventral suture; seeds 1.7-2.2 mm. long, 1.1-1.3 mm. wide, trigonal, the sides flat, the dorsum rounded, brown.A
Distribución
México (país) Nativo y no endémicoA
Elevación
0 – 3150 mA
Ecología y Hábitat
Usually in moist thickets on shaded river banks, also in llanos, campo, savannas, and weedy fields, in loam or clay soil.
Tipo de vegetación
SabanaA
Categoría IUCN
No incluidaB
Categoría NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010
No incluidaC