Allowissadula holosericea (Scheele) Bates, velvet–leaf mallow. Perennial herb, not rosetted, several–stemmed at base, principal branches from ground erect with spreading axillary branches in canopy, in range to 120 cm tall; shoots with only cauline leaves, foliage velveteen, having a dense cover of soft stellate hairs, on shoots having 10+ unequal arms and often a short stalk, axes having long–stalked glandular hairs to 0.7 mm long with yellowish heads, canopy strongly scented when handled.
Stems initially slightly ridged but concealed by pubescence aging cylindric, to 10 mm diameter, with 1 ridge descending from each leaf, tough, zigzagged especially above midplant, woody at base, glandular hairs present on portions of stem and especially in canopy; pith intact, white.
Leaves helically alternate, simple sometime somewhat 3–lobed above midblade, long–petiolate without pulvinus, with stipules; stipules 2, attached to stem at node, threadlike, 3.5—5.5 mm long, with short stellate hairs and abundant, scattered, radiating, long–stalked glandular hairs, abscising after leaf mature; petiole cylindric, of mature leaves 15—175 mm long, tough, stellate–hairy and with abundant, scattered long–stalked glandular hairs; blade inverted heart–shaped to somewhat triangular, of mature leaves 40—220 × 30—195 mm, cordate (subcordate) at base, serrate on margins, acuminate to acute at tip, palmately veined at base with 5, 7, or 9 principal veins raised on lower surface, if 3–lobed upper (distal) 3 principal veins to lobes, conspicuously velveteen on developing leaves with especially the lower surface gray–green with dense, soft tomentum, surfaces lacking glandular hairs.
Inflorescence leafy cyme on axillary lateral shoot, several–flowered, bracteate, stellate hairy on green surfaces with long–stalked glandular hairs except on bractlet blades; peduncle stemlike; bractlet subtending pedicel, leaflet with 2 stipules and a blade with delayed devilment on a well–defined petiole; pedicel cylindric, at anthesis 6—11 mm long, with abundant glandular hairs, lacking bracteoles at top or associated with calyx (epicalyx lacking).
Flower bisexual, radial, 32—42 mm across; calyx 5–lobed, ca. 12 mm long not increasing in fruit, green, outer (lower) surface stellate–hairy with scattered, long–stalked glandular hairs, in bud appearing strongly 5–ribbed; tube cup–shaped, 10–ribbed with ribs darker green, inner surface glabrous; lobes triangular, 5—6 × 5 mm, darker green than tube and often purplish on margins, acute with cylindric point 1 mm long at tip, 3–veined from base with central vein raised on lower surface, inner surface sparsely hairy with stellate hairs having few arms; corolla 5–lobes, fused at base and with base of stamen column, platelike (rotate); tube (with stamens) < 2 mm long, thin and white–papery to midpoint, fleshy and pale yellow above midpoint, glabrous; lobes petal–like with thickened, narrowed base, conspicuously overlapping, fan–shaped to obovate, in range 14—18 × 14—18 mm, light yellow–orange, on thickened base stellate–ciliate on margins with colorless, ascending arms to 0.7 mm long, many–veined from base raised on both surfaces; stamens 60+, monadelphous (all fused) forming column at base hiding ovary; column volcanolike, ca. 3 × 1.2 mm at top, light yellow–orange, free filaments exserted, widely spreading, 3.5—5.5 mm long, light yellow–orange to dark yellow; anthers dorsifixed monothecal, strongly curved, 0.7—1 mm long, light yellow, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen light yellow; pistil 1; ovary superior, 2 × 3 mm with depressed center on top, top covered with dense white cover of elongate stellate hairs ca. 1 mm long hiding 5(—6) blunt horns on perimeter, glabrous on side, 5(—6)–chambered, each chamber with 3 ovules; style attached in depressed center of ovary, ca. 10 mm long, 5(—6)–branched, lower portion 2.5—3 mm long, pale yellow–green, the branches exserted arising through stamen column then curved and widely spreading mixed with filaments, ca. 7.5 mm long, dark yellow, slender at bases; stigmas terminal, capitate and hemispheroid.
Fruit schizocarpic capsule, loculicidal initially splitting on top ca. 4 mm, later breaking along septa and from central post into 5(—6) dry, 2—3–seeded segments (mericarps); intact fruit hemispheroid, 6—7 × 10—11.5 mm, with depressed center at top, strongly lobed above midpoint, with a closely spaced pair of short, blunt horns along rim at top, stellate–hairy base to top with many hairs and arms 1+ mm long on top; mericarps = obovoid wedges ca. 5 × 7 mm having a pair of wide lobes at top, dehiscent between pair of horns.
Seed plump D–shaped and 3–sided, ± 2 × 2 × 1.5 mm, dull black (dark brown) with granular surface.
A. C. Gibson