Abelmoschus ficulneus (L.) Wight & Arn. ex Wight

Abelmoschus species are herbs, undershrubs or small trees. Branches with simple prickly or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, palmately lobed or palmilobed, usually sagittate to hastate with to-parted segments or pennilobed, margins crenate-dentate, rarely entire, coriaceous, petiolate, stipulate. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, solitary or cymes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, inarticulate, epicalyx 4-16, free, base rarely connate, persistent to caducous, calyx 5 lobed or toothed at tip, base connate, valvate, corolla large, 5, yellow with dark purple, white or pink. Stamens indefinite, monadelphous, forming an epipetalous staminal tube united with corolla, filament short, introrse, anthers basifixed, throughout. Ovary superior, 5 locular, ovules many, style 1, 5 branched distally, stigma discoid. Fruit capsule, ovoid to cylindric, apex beaked or mucronate, dehiscent with longitudinal slits towards the base. Seed many, reniform or globose, smooth.

Abelmoschus species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: September—November/November—March.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Herbs or undershrubs, about 0.5-2 m tall. Branches with bulbous bases, with simple prickly or stellate hairs when young, become glabrescent later. Leaves alternate, palmately lobed or palmilobed, transversely orbicular, about 3-12 cm across, base cordate, 3-5 nerved, lobes spathulate to obovate, margins serrate, apex rounded or obtuse, about 2-8 x 1-4 across, pubescent with stiff simple hairs both above and beneath, and also with stellate hairs beneath, coriaceous, petiole usually longer than the leaf lamina, about 1.5-20 cm long, stipules linear filiform, hairy, about 4-10 mm long. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, solitary. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, inarticulate, about 1-1.5 cm long, epicalyx 5-6, free, base rarely connate, segments about 5-10 x 1-1.5 mm across, calyx 5 lobed, base connate, valvate, membranous, hairy about 3 mm long, corolla large, 5, yellow with dark purple or pink near the centre, obovate, glabrous, about 1.5-2 cm across. Stamens indefinite, monadelphous, forming an epipetalous staminal tube united with corolla, filament short, introrse, anthers basifixed, throughout. Ovary superior, 5 locular, ovules many, style 1, 5 branched distally, stigma discoid. Fruit capsule, ovoid-oblong, about 2-4.5 x 1.5-2 cm across, 5 angular, apex obtuse or shortly acuminate, dehiscent with longitudinal slits, tomentose with simple hairs, later glabrescent. Seed many, globose, with stellate tomentose in concentric rings, about 3-4 mm across, black.

Abelmoschus species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Deciduouis Forests & on bunds around fields , hedges

In tropical forests, altitude 300-1200 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Seed oil used for flavoring coffee. Used in folk medicine, stems yield fibre.