Waltheria indica

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms:

1. Waltheria americana L.
2. Waltheria indica var. americana (L.) R. Br. ex Hosaka
3. Waltheria pyrolifolia Gray

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 2:673. 1753

Name verified on 18-Jan-2005 by ARS Systematic Botanists.

Physical Description

Family Malvaceae:

Herbs, shrubs, or less often trees; indumentum usually with peltate scales or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, stipulate, petiolate; leaf blade usually palmately veined, entire or various lobed. Flowers solitary, less often in small cymes or clusters, axillary or subterminal, often aggregated into terminal racemes or panicles, usually conspicuous, actinomorphic, usually bisexual (unisexual in Kydia) . Epicalyx often present, forming an involucre around calyx, 3- to many lobed. Sepals 5, valvate, free or connate. Petals 5, free, contorted, or imbricate, basally adnate to base of filament tube. Stamens usually very many, filaments connate into tube; anthers 1-celled. Pollen spiny. Ovary superior, with 2-25 carpels, often separating from one another and from axis; ovules 1 to many per locule; style as many or 2 × as many as pistils, apex branched or capitate. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or a schizocarp, separating into individual mericarps, rarely berrylike when mature (Malvaviscus) ; carpels sometimes with an endoglossum (a crosswise projection from back wall of carpel to make it almost completely septate. Seeds often reniform, glabrous or hairy, sometimes conspicuously so.

About 100 genera and ca. 1000 species: tropical and temperate regions of N and S Hemisphere; 19 genera (four introduced) and 81 species (24 endemic, 16 introduced) in China.

Molecular studies have shown that the members of the Bombacaceae, Malvaceae, Sterculiaceae, and Tiliaceae form a very well-defined monophyletic group that is divided into ten also rather well-defined clades, only two of which correspond to the traditional families Bombacaceae and Malvaceae. Some of the remaining groups are included entirely within either of the remaining families but others cut across the traditional divide between the Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae. A majority of authors, most notably Bayer and Kubitzki (Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 5: 225-311. 2003), has favored including everything within a greatly enlarged Malvaceae, and treating the individual clades as subfamilies. The alternative view is that the individual clades should be treated as a series of ten families: Bombacaceae (Bombacoideae), Brownlowiaceae (Brownlowioideae), Byttneriaceae (Byttnerioideae), Durionaceae (Durionoideae), Helicteraceae (Helicteroideae), Malvaceae (Malvoideae), Pentapetaceae (Dombeyoideae), Sparrmanniaceae (Grewioideae), Sterculiaceae (Sterculioideae), and Tiliaceae (Tilioideae) (Cheek in Heywood et al., Fl. Pl. Fam. World. 201-202. 2007) . For the present treatment, we prefer to retain the familiar, traditional four families, so as to maintain continuity with the treatments in FRPS, and to await a consensus on the two alternative strategies for dealing with the very widely accepted clades.

The traditional Malvaceae coincides exactly with one of the major clades. The only possible problem is the relationship with the Bombacaceae, which also has primarily 1-loculed anthers, and some authorities have suggested that the Bombacaceae should be included within the Malvaceae.

Members of the Malvaceae are important as fiber crops (particularly cotton, Gossypium) . Young leaves of many species can be used as vegetables, and species of Abelmoschus and Hibiscus are grown as minor food crops. Many species have attractive flowers and an ever-increasing selection is grown as ornamentals. Several have been cultivated for a very long time, particularly species of Hibiscus, and some of these are not known in the wild.^[1]

Genus Waltheria:

Herbs or subshrubs, rarely woody, stellate puberulent. Stipules lanceolate; leaves simple, margin serrate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, cymose, often congested. Flowers small, bisexual. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5, spatulate, persistent. Stamens 5, connate at base, opposite to petals; anthers 2-thecate, thecae parallel. Ovary sessile, 1-celled; ovules 2; style clavate or fimbriate at apex. Capsule 2-valved. Seed 1, with copious endosperm; cotyledons flat.

About 50 species: mostly in tropical America; one species in China.^[2]

Habit: Subshrub, Shrub, Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. • Flower Color: gold, orange, pale yellow, yellow-orange, yellow

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

Caribbean

Native: Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora.

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Waltheria:

There are approximately 139 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: W. acapulcensis · W. ackermanniana · W. acuminata · W. africana · W. alamosana · W. albicans · W. americana var. elliptica · W. americana var. glandulosa · W. angustifolia · W. arborescens · W. arenaria · W. arenicola · W. aspera · W. astropus · W. bahamensis · W. belizensis · W. berteroi · W. bicolor · W. biribiriensis · W. boliviensis · W. brachypetala · W. bracteosa · W. brevipes · W. calcicola (Raichie) · W. capitata · W. carmensara · W. carmensarae · W. caroliniana · W. carpinifolia · W. cinerascens · W. cinerea · W. cinerescens · W. collina · W. communis · W. communis var. dietrichii · W. communis var. erosa · W. communis var. glabriuscula · W. communis var. henningsii · W. communis var. hirta · W. communis var. lanata · W. communis var. platyphylla · W. communis var. tomentella · W. communis var. velutina · W. communis var. vulgaris · W. conzattii · W. corchorifolia · W. cordata · W. debilis · W. detonsa · W. douradinha · W. elliptica · W. erioclada · W. excelsa · W. excelsa var. hirsuta · W. fauriei · W. ferruginea · W. fruticosa · W. fryxellii · W. glabra · W. glabriuscula · W. glazioviana · W. glomerata · W. gracilis · W. guineensis · W. haenkeana · W. hatschbachii · W. herbacea · W. hirsuta · W. incana · W. indica (Basora-Prieta) · W. indica var. prostrata · W. intricata · W. involucrata · W. ladewi · W. ladewii · W. laevis · W. lanata · W. lanceolata · W. lantanaefolia · W. lantanifolia · W. laxa · W. longifolia · W. longiramea · W. lophantha · W. lophanthus · W. lundelliana · W. machrisiana · W. mackenzii · W. macrophylla · W. macropoda · W. madagascariensis · W. makinoi · W. marchionica · W. maritima · W. martii · W. microphylla · W. mollis · W. monogynia · W. nipensis · W. obtusa

Bibliography

• Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica. (F Jam)
• Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963–1968. Flora of Java. (F Java) [= W. americana L.].
• Boggan, J. et al. 1997. Checklist of the plants of the Guianas, ed. 2. (L Guianas ed2)
• Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. (L Peru)
• Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959–. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. (F China)
• Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. (F Tex)
• Cufodontis, G. 1953–1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta. (F EthiopCuf)
• Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960–. Flora zambesiaca. (F Zamb)
• Feng Kuo-mei. 1984. Malvaceae. In: Feng Kuo-mei, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 49(2): 1-102.
• Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17. (L Macar ed4)
• Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11. (L Aust)
• Howard, R. 1974–1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles. (F LAnt)
• Hsue Hsiang-hao. 1984. Sterculiaceae. In: Feng Kuo-mei, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 49(2): 112-189.
• Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953–1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2. (F WT Afr)
• Liogier, H. A. 1984–. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands. (F PuertoR)
• Marticorena, C. & M. Quezada. 1985. Catalogo de la flora vascular de Chile. (L Chile)
• McVaugh, R. 1983–. Flora Novo-Galiciana. (F NGalicia)
• Merrill, E. D. 1922–1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. (F Philipp) [= W. americana L.].
• Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert. (F SonorDes) [= W. americana L.].
• Smith, A. C. 1979–1991. Flora vitiensis nova. (F Viti)
• Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946–1976. Flora of Guatemala. (F Guat) [= W. americana L.].
• Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3). (F Nicaragua)
• Thulin, M., ed. 1993–. Flora of Somalia. (F Somalia)
• Wagner, W. L. et al. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i. (F Hawaii)
• Wiggins, I. L. 1980. Flora of Baja California. (F Baja) [= W. americana L.].
• Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide to the vascular plants of Florida. (F Florida)
• Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74., 1999 (L Argent)

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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 01, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 4 providers.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 01, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Virtual Herbarium Darwin Core format
• Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
• Herbier de la Guyane, Herbier de la Guyane
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
• , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea
• School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
• SysTax, Herbarium Universitat Ulm
• SysTax, Instituto de Botanica del Nordeste
• SysTax, Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Utrecht University branch
• SysTax, SysTax
• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 21561
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13741327
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:825794-1
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: WAPY
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 68543

Footnotes:

1. Ya Tang, Michael G. Gilbert & Laurence J. Dorr "Malvaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 240, 264,299, 302. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. Ya Tang, Michael G. Gilbert & Laurence J. Dorr "Waltheria". in Flora of China Vol. 12 Page 302, 321. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.