Sida acuta

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{more citations needed|date=October 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Speciesbox |name = Common wireweed |image = Sida acuta (Jangli-methi) in Hyderabad, AP W2 IMG 0084.jpg |genus = Sida |species = acuta |authority = Burm.f.<ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | accessdate=29 March 2009}}</ref> |synonyms = ''Sida carpinifolia'' <small>L.f.</small><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=all&search_value=Sida+carpinifolia&search_kingdom=every&search_span=exactly_for&categories=All&source=html&search_credRating=All |title=Sida carpinifolia L. f. |work=ITIS Standard Reports |publisher=Integrated Taxonomic Information System|accessdate=29 March 2009}}</ref> }}

'''''Sida acuta''''', the '''common wireweed''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=SIAC3|taxon=Sida acuta|accessdate=12 November 2015}}</ref> is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is believed to have originated in Central America, but today has a pantropical distribution and is considered a weed in some areas.<ref>{{cite book |title=Noxious weeds of Australia |first=William Thomas |last=Parsons |author2=Eric George Cuthbertson |edition=2 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-643-06514-7 |pages=508–509}}</ref> In India, the indigenous people of Garo Hills in Meghalaya use this plant to make brooms.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shaw |first=Ranjan |date=December 2, 2025 |title=Sida acuta Burm.f. (Malvaceae) as Indigenous brooms in Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India |url=https://ijarbs.com/pdfcopy/2025/feb2025/ijarbs4.pdf |journal=International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=31-36 |via=International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences}}</ref>

In northern Australia, ''Sida acuta'' is considered an invasive species, and the beetle ''Calligrapha pantherina'' has been introduced as a biological control agent in an attempt to control the plant.<ref name=Julien>{{cite book|author1=Julien, M.H.|author2=McFadyen, R.E.|author3=Cullen, Jim|title=Biological Control of Weeds in Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PN8xW4uuf3EC&pg=PA525 |year=2012 |publisher=Csiro Publishing |isbn=978-0-643-09993-7 |pages=525–526}}</ref>

==Description== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}

=== 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, 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

=== Gynoecium === Carples: five, syncarpous, ovary superior, penta or multilocular with axile placentation, one ovule in each 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)

== Names ==

=== Vernacular name === Source:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mukherjee|first=H.|title=Plant Groups|publisher=New Central Book Agency Pvt Ltd|year=1981|isbn=9788173810947|edition=9|pages=1111}}</ref> * Sanskrit: {{IAST|bala}} * Bengali: {{Transliteration|bn|kureta/berela}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Deb|first=D.B.|title=The Flora of Tripura State Vol. I|publisher=Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers|year=1981|location=New Delhi|pages=306}}</ref> (in Tripura) * Hindi: {{Transliteration|hi|kareta/kharenti}} * Odia (Oriya): {{Transliteration|or|siobala}} * Gujrati: {{Transliteration|gu|bala/jangli menthi}} * Marathi: {{Transliteration|mr|chikana}} * Malayalam: {{Transliteration|ml|malatanni}} * Tamil: {{Transliteration|ta|malaidangi,Arivaal Mooku Pachilai}} * Telugu: {{Transliteration|te|nelabenda}} * Kannada: {{Transliteration|kn|vishakaddi}} * Sinhala: {{Transliteration|si|gasbevila}} * Burmese: {{Transliteration|my|katsayna}} * Yoruba: {{Lang|yo|Ìsékètu}} * mutsvairo: {{Transliteration|sh|Shona language}} * Asante Twi: {{Transliteration|tw|Tweta}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

acuta Category:Flora of Southern America Category:Flora of Central America Category:Flora of tropical Asia Category:Flora of China Category:Flora naturalised in Australia Category:Plants described in 1768 Category:Pantropical flora Category:Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman Category:Constantly blooming plants