Malvella leprosa (Ortega) Krapov.
Family: Malvaceae

Pertinent Synonyms & Notes (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other synonyms)

Sida hederacea (Douglas) Torr. ex A. Gray

Pertinent Common Names (particularly those used in California; go to GRIN for other common names)

alkali mallow

Primary Disseminule Types

fruit segment (fruit tissues are fragile and may be missing), seed

Description (diagnostics are in brown)

Fruit a disk-shaped schizocarp 5–8 mm diameter, consisting of 6–10 triangular segments (mericarps) that separate at maturity.

Mericarp loosely contains a single seed, is indehiscent but fragile, 3–4 mm long, orangish-brown and minutely puberulent with star-shaped hairs on back, yellowish-white and net-veined on sides.

Seed kidney-shaped to elongated comma-shaped in outline, prominently notched along margin where hilum occurs, compressed (thickened along the margin opposite the hilum creating a ovate to bilobed cross-section), 2–2.3 mm long x 1.8–2.2 mm wide x 1.2–1.6 mm thick. Surface glabrous, grayish to reddish-brown to purplish, minutely honeycombed.

Hilum marginal in notch, covered by a funicular remnant that partially breaks away from the seed at maturity to form a flap (sometimes the whole remnant breaks off).

Embryo folded.

Risk Assessment (codes in yellow or red indicate cause for concern; assessments are current as of mid-2011; click AUQP, NZBORIC, or NZBPI for access to the most recent versions of these databases and possible assessment changes)

AUQP, NZBORIC, NZBPI