Sida alba L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Base of kopje behind La Rochelle Hotel.

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Synonyms:	Sida spinosa L. pro parte
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Description:	Annual or perennial herb up to c. 75 cm tall, often branching from the base. Stems more or less densely covered in short stellate pubescence, terete to somewhat angled when young, becoming woodyand often purple-brown when older. Leaves oblong, ovate, lanceolate but usually narrowly lanceolate, mostly less than 3 cm long, greenish pubescent above, greyish wolly beneath; apex subacute to rounded; base truncate to rounded; margin regularly serrate; petiole up to 3 cm, slender, with a callus at the base that is often shortly spine-like. Flowers axillary, solitary or few together. Calyx c. 6 mm long, 10 ribbed, hairy, lobed to the middle; petals 5-6 mm long, white to pale yellow. Mericarps 5, 4-5 mm long, including 2 setaceous awns. opening at the base.
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Derivation of specific name:	alba: white
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Worldwide distribution:	Throughout tropical Africa, Namibia and Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Also in America.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 204. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 51. Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 33. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 84. Exell, A.W. (1961). Malvaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Page 477. Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 400. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 61. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 75. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 85. Van Wyk, B. & Malan, S. (1988). Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria Region Struik, Cape Town Pages 160 - 161. (Includes a picture). Wild, H. (1955). Common Rhodesian Weeds Government of Rhodesia, Salisbury Page 43. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Sida alba:

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Flora of Botswana: Sida alba
Flora of Malawi: Sida alba
Flora of Mozambique: Sida alba
Flora of Zambia: Sida alba
Flora of Zimbabwe: Sida alba

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Sida alba
African Plant Database: Sida alba
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Sida alba
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Sida alba
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Sida alba
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Sida alba
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Sida alba
JSTOR Plant Science: Sida alba
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Sida alba
Plants of the World Online: Sida alba
Tropicos: Sida alba
Wikipedia: Sida alba