Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect to ascending, single, spreading from base, much-branched, with simple and star-shaped hairs.
- Leaves
- Alternate, stalked, ovate or circular in outline, .5 to 3 inches long, .5 to 2.5 inches wide, palmately divided into 3-7 segments; segments lanceolate, oblong, or wedge-shaped, toothed or lobed, surfaces with scattered simple and star-shaped hairs; middle segment largest; margins saw-toothed or scalloped.
- Inflorescence
- 1-3-flowered, terminal, on short stalks in axils of upper leaves; bracts 10-15, linear; margins fringed with hairs.
- Flower
- 1 to 2.5 inches across; calyces 5-sided, inflated, membranous, conspicuously dark-nerved, stiff-hairy; corollas 5-petaled, whitish to cream with dark purplish centers; veins dark; margins sometimes dark purple; stamens numerous, reddish, filaments united in column, anthers yellow.
- Fruit
- Capsules, spherical to egg-shaped, 5-celled, hairy, enclosed in inflated calyces; seeds many, tiny, rough, grayish brown to blackish.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Disturbed sites, waste ground, cultivated fields, pastures, and roadsides.
- Distribution
- Throughout, more frequently eastward in Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
Called "flower-of-an-hour" because of the brief time each flower remains open in the morning. Venice mallow can be a problem weed. The seeds can remain viable in the soil for years.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Malvaceae - Mallow Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 4-24 inches
- Origin
- Introduced
- Last Updated
- 2007-10-20
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: July, August, September