Sida acuta
Description
Description
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### Plant

Undershrub, with mucilaginous juice, aerial, erect, cylindrical, branched, solid, green.

### Leaves

Alternate, simple, lanceolate to linear, rarely ovate to oblong, obtuse at the base, acute at the apex, coarsely and remotely serrate; petiole much shorter than the blade; stipulate, stipules free\-lateral, unequally paired at the node, reticulate venation.

### Inflorescence

Cymose

### Flower

Small, axillary, 2–3 in a cluster; pedicels jointed at the middle, epicalyx absent, complete, bisexual, regular, actinomorphic, hypogynus, pentamerous, yellow.

### Calyx

Sepals: five, [gamosepalous](/wiki/Gamosepalous "Gamosepalous"), campanulate, slightly accrescent, persistent, valvate.

### Corolla

Petals: five, polypetalous but slightly connate below and jointed with the staminal column, twisted.

### Androecium

Stamens many, monadelphous, arranged on the staminal column; staminal column is shorter than the petals, divided above into numerous filaments, anthers monothecous, reniform, basifixed, filament short, extrorse. Pollen are spherical with spikes, size is approximately 90 microns.

[thumb\|Pollen grains of Sida acuta](/wiki/File:Pollens_of_Sida_acuta_2.jpg "Pollens of Sida acuta 2.jpg")

### Gynoecium

Carples: five, syncarpous, ovary superior, penta or multilocular with axile placentation, one ovule in each [locule](/wiki/Locule "Locule"); style 1, passing through the staminal tube; stigma globular, correspond to the number of carpels.

### Fruit

A schizocarpic mericarp, seed 1 in each mericarp.

### Classification and identification (Bentham and Hooker's system)

#### Class: Dicotyledonae

I) Reticulate venation.

II) Flower pentamerous.

#### Sub\-class: Polypetalae

I) Petals free.

#### Series: Thalamiflorae

I) Flower hypogynus; ovary superior.

#### Order: Malvales

I) Stamens indefinite, monadelphous.

II) Ovary 5 carpellary, placentation axile.

#### Family: Malvaceae

I) Plant: mucilaginous.

II) Leaves: simple with free lateral stipule.

III) Flower: bisexual, petals: five, twisted; monadelphous stamen, anther one\-celled, reniform.

#### Genus: *Sida*

I) Staminal column without teeth at apex.

II) Flowers without epicalyx.

III) Ovule 1 in each locule; seed 1 in each mericarp.

#### Species: *S.acuta*

I) Leaf base obtuse, apex acute.

### Floral formula of *Sida acuta*

Br,\+,K⁵,C⁵^,A\_,G(⁵)


Can you explain the ecological importance of Sida acuta in its native habitat?