Africa Wild Flower Book - Order Malvales

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Wild Abutilon Abutilon sp.
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© Kesheshe
Kruger National Park

Abutilon is a large pantropical genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. Biennial to perennial herbs or shrubs, usually with stellate hairs. Leaves petiolate, usually ± ovate with a cordate base. Flowers yellow, orange or apricot. Epicalyx 0. Fruit of (5-)10-c.40 mericarps arranged round a central axis; (1-)2-3(-9) seeded.

Links: SANBI Red List of South African Plants - Species listing: Abutilon

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Januarybush, Karoo Broom Gnidia polycephala (Terpentynbos, Besembossie, Janewariebos, Perdebossie)
Order: Malvales. Family: Thymeleaeceae

© Kesheshe

© Kesheshe
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Description
A perennial with a strong taproot. Much-branched from the base and forms a densely tufted rounded shrub, up to 1m, usually ±50 cm high. In the Kalahari it grows to be more than twice the average size it reaches in the Karoo. The grey-green stems have few side branches and bear leaves only in the young stages. The narrowly elliptic leaves with pointed tips drop off early from the new growth that follows rain. Small, dense heads of flowers subtended by broad papery bracts are borne at the ends of the branches. The flowers are tubular, yellow and hairy on the outside. The fruit is covered with plumes of long, silvery hairs, is 1-chambered and contains a single seed.

Distribution
Widespread in the arid regions of Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape).

Habitat
Short scrub on dolerite ridges and sandy slopes in very dry regions. The plant invades overgrazed land.

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Decan Hemp, Kenaf, Hemp-leaved Hibiscus Hibiscus cannabinus, Hibiscus sabdariffa (Wildestokroos)
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© pooky
Kruger National Park, H6

Description
Tall erect little-branched annual, up to 3 m high. Rod-like stems aculeate with small, rather sparse, prickles usually pointing upwards, otherwise nearly glabrous or with a longitudinal line of crisped pubescence. Leaves: petiole up to 22 cm; lamina up to 15 × 15 cm, usually subcircular in outline, 3-7-palmately lobed, the segments usually narrowly elliptic to linear (occasionally broader), scaberulous or almost glabrous with a few minute prickles on the nerves, usually with a prominent gland on the under surface near the base of the midrib; margin serrate or dentate. Flowers up to 10 cm in diameter, white, greyish or pale yellow, with a very dark purple centre. Epicalyx of 7-8 bracts; each up to 18 mm, linear. Calyx up to 25 mm, setose, 10-nerved; lobes acuminate or long-acuminate; gland on midrib of calyx lobe conspicuous, usually at least 1.5 mm in diameter (rarely 0). Capsule up to 20 × 15 mm. Seeds minutely faveolate.

Distribution
Widespread in the tropics and subtropics. Provincial distribution in South Africa: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West

Habitat
Bushveld, cultivated lans and disturbed places.

Links: Braam Van Wyk: A Photographic Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa

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Dollrose Hermannia filifolia filifolia (Pleisterbos)
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© Michael de Nysschen
Klein Karoo near Oudtshoorn

Description
Perenneial shrublet. Glabrescent, twiggy with erect branches, 30 to 100 cm tall. Leaves and stipules subequal, often in tufts, linear, the margins revolute. Flowers on slender elongated branches, few per node, orange to red, calyx lobes usually spreading and papery. Capsules knobbed.

Distribution
South African endemic: Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, Western Cape.

Habitat
Arid Karoo.

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Desert Rose Hermannia grandiflora (Klokkiebos, Ouma-se-kappie)
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© Michael de Nysschen

Description
A mounding/spreading, perennial shrub, up to about 1 m high. The stems and branches are stiff and twiggy, giving it a rather open, sparse habit. The leaves are oblong-cuneate, glabrous (non-hairy), toothed, olive green, and 5–15 mm long. During particularly dry weather in summer, it sheds its leaves and goes into a state of dormancy until the next rains, after which the leaves soon re-appear. The flowers are bright salmon-red to pink and pendulus (hanging), with the opening of the flower facing downwards. Each flower has five petals which overlap one another and flare at the opening to form the shape of a trumpet. There are two flowers per inflorescence which appear at every node on terminal branch tips and are resinous/sticky to the touch at the base. The flowers have a sweet fragrance. The fruits are small, cylindrical, oblong capsules without horns, 3–6 mm long, which dry to release tiny, hard brown seeds the size of coarse sand.

Distribution
Namibia and South Africa (Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape). Mainly north of the Swartberg and into the south and central Great Karoo.

Habitat
On stony clay soils in the summer rainfall regions, from 300 to 1400 m.

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Poison Bush Gnidia caffra (Gifbossie)
Order: Malvales. Family: Thymeleaeceae

© Amoli

© Amoli
Rietvlei, Gauteng

Description
Herbaceous perennial shrublet, 20–60 cm in height, with stout perennial taproot. Erect, slender, little-branched, stems rising from woody base. Stems covered with pale hairs. Inflorescence a terminal 2–8-flowered head. Flowers tubular, lemon or golden yellow, in loose (Aug-Jan). Leaves very short-stalked, sparsely covered with hairs, green, not silvery; lower well-separated, narrow-oval, up to 3 cm long x 1 cm wide, blunt; upper closer, narrower, sharply pointed.

Distribution
Lesotho; South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces); Swaziland.

Habitat
Found in grassland, on rocky outcrops. Conspicuous after veld fires.

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Common Gonna Bush Passerina corymbosa (Gonnabos, Bakkerbos)
Order: Malvales. Family: Thymeleaeceae

© nan

© nan
Bontebok National Park

Description
A medium to tall shrub, 1-3 m, covered in masses of small creamy flowers. The stems which are made up of extremely tough fibres, are not easy to break and the bark peels off in long, tough strips. The young white stems which are partially covered with tiny, linear leaves of about 5 mm long. The normal green, linear leaves have a hairy groove beneath and are 3-10 mm long. The insignificant, small flowers, which are dull cream or reddish, are borne in large numbers in the axils of the leaves. During the flowering period of August to November, the red sepals and large yellow anthers are quite distinctive. The stamens and exserted anthers which appear on the long filaments, are attached to the top of the calyx tube. The coloured calyx is inflated below, with four lobes above. There are no petals present.

Distribution
South African endemic (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape). It occurs from Tulbagh to Port Elizabeth.

Habitat
It occurs on slopes and sandy flats where it grows amongst dry and asteraceous fynbos, with an altitude variation of 20-1 850 m.

Links: Field Guide to Fynbos. John C. Manning

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Wild Abutilon Abutilon sp.
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Shingwedzi

Abutilon is a large pantropical genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. Biennial to perennial herbs or shrubs, usually with stellate hairs. Leaves petiolate, usually ± ovate with a cordate base. Flowers yellow, orange or apricot. Epicalyx 0. Fruit of (5-)10-c.40 mericarps arranged round a central axis; (1-)2-3(-9) seeded.

Links: SANBI Red List of South African Plants - Species listing: Abutilon

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Hibiscus, Lemonyellow Rosemallow Hibiscus calyphyllus
Order: Malvales. Family: Malvaceae

© steamtrainfan
Pilanesberg

Description
Dense, perennial, rounded shrub; up to 3 m high; the leaves are large, up to 50 mm in diameter, light green, soft and velvety; the flowers are lemon-yellow, large, up to 100 mm in diameter, with a deep red to blackish centre; the fruit is a papery capsule that splits open to reveal hairy to hairless seeds. It is fairly fast growing and will flower repeatedly, the flowers lasting for a reasonable amount of time. Flowering time: all year round, but mainly from January to April.

Distribution
From the Eastern Cape in South Africa to tropical East Africa
Provincial distribution in South Africa: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West.

Habitat
Found in open bush, in thickets and on alluvial soils along rivers, often in dense colonies.

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Striate Sprayflower Struthiola striata (Roemenaggie)
Order: Malvales. Family: Thymeleaeceae

© arks

© arks
Cape Point

Description
Shrub to 1 m, hairy on the young branches. Leaves opposite, overlapping, oblong, rounded at the tips, strongly ridged beneath, the margins finely hairy. cream-coloured, yellow or pinkish flowers, scented at night, with a hairless tube and 4 petal-scales in the mouth.

Distribution
South African endemic (coastal areas in the Western and Eastern Cape).

Habitat
Flats and lower slopes.