Melochia pyramidata L.

Global description

Melochia pyramidata is an erect plant, 30 to 90 cm high. The main stem is slender, with oblique branches, non hairy or with stellate hairs on the younger branches. The leaves are simple, alternate, bright green and not hairy, elongated with serrated edge. The flowers are in groups opposite to the leaves. They are purplish or mauve and tinted yellow at the base. The fruit is pyramid-shaped and slightly swollen, pointed at the top and covered with stellate hairs.
 
General habit
 
Erect plant, sub-woody, 30 to 90 cm high.
 
Underground system
 
The root is a deep and strong taproot.
 
Stem
 
Stem is cylindrical, full, sub-woody, slender, with ascending branches, the youngest being finely hairy (stellate hairs).
 
Leaf
 
The leaves are simple, alternate, long-stalked at the base of the plant, short-stalked at the top. At the base of the petiole are 2 linear stipules, 2mm long. The blade is more or less narrowly elliptical to oval, 1.5 to 5 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide. The margin is coarsely serrated in the upper ¾ and entire in the lower 1/4. The apex is acute or shortly acuminate, base in broad area. Both sides are smooth or with some stellate hairs in young leaves. The venation is pinnate, strongly marked in the upper side.
 
Inflorescence
 
The inflorescence is a compact cyme, shortly stalked, 4 to 5 flowers, arranged opposite to leaves.
 
Flower
 
Flower is shortly pedicellate (3 mm). Calyx 5 mm long, with 5 acute sepals. Corolla with 5 petals about 8 mm long, purplish pink color and obovate shape. 5 stamens alternating with rudimentary staminodes. Superior ovary with 5 loculus, 3 mm long and surmounted by a style of 5 branches.
 
Fruit
 
The fruit is a dehiscent capsule, pyramidal shape, 1 cm long and wide. At first it is green, then pale yellow, and becomes papery when drying, separating in 5 trigons members at maturity, containing 1 to 2 seeds.

Seed
 
Oval seed, trigonal, 2 mm long and gray.

Origin

Melochia pyramidata is native to tropical America.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced into the islands of the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mayotte, Reunion, Seychelles, and Mauritius), as well as the northern part of Australia.

https://www.gbif.org/species/6686326