Melochia tomentosa L.

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Melochia tomentosa L.

  • Description

    Species Description - Erect or spreading shrub or subshrub, 0.5-1 m tall; young stems densely stellate-tomentose, canescent, eventually glabrescent. Leaf blades generally 2-7 X (0.5-)1-4 cm (smaller on lateral branches), ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, densely stellate-tomentose to canescent above and below, the apex rounded to acute, the base rounded to subcordate or truncate, the margins crenate-serrate to serrate; petioles 0.15-2.1 cm long, densely stellate-tomentose, canescent; stipules 2-9 mm long, deltate to linear. Flowers in loose, axillary, umbelliform cymes; peduncles 1-8 mm long; pedicels 2-6 mm long. Calyx 5-8 mm long, the lobes lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, densely stellate-tomentose without, glabrous within, acuminate to caudateacuminate at apex; petals pink, lavender, mauve, or rose, 8-9.5 mm long, oblanceolate to obovate-cuneate, glabrous; staminal tube 3-3.5 mm long, free portion of filaments 1-1.5 mm long (5-6 mm in short-styled flowers), the anthers ca. 1 mm long; ovary ellipsoid to ovoid, 2-2.5 mm long, borne on a gynophore 0-1 mm long, the styles 5-6.5 mm long (3-3.5 mm in short-styled flowers), basally connate for ca. 2 mm. Capsule pyramidal, 5-angled, 7-10 mm in diam., long-beaked. Seeds 2-3 x 1.1-2 mm, obovate, light to dark brown or reddish brown, smooth.

  • Discussion

    Common names: broom weed, broom wood.

    Note: Goldberg (1967) recognized four varieties of this species based on leaf size and degree of pubescence. Three of the varieties are purportedly present in the West Indies, but since they intergrade, there seems to be little value in attempting to distinguish them.

  • Distribution

    Common weed of open disturbed areas such as roadsides. Lameshur (A2760), Coral Bay (A2445). Also on Anegada, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda (Britton & Wilson, 1924); Florida, Texas, West Indies, Mexico, Central America to Brazil.

    Saint Croix Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Anegada Virgin Islands South America| Tortola Virgin Islands South America| Virgin Gorda Virgin Islands South America| Florida United States of America North America| Texas United States of America North America| West Indies| México Mexico North America| Central America| Brazil South America|