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Bracted Sida
Sida ciliaris C. Linnaeus
Malvaceae
This native perennial should definitely
be used more in gardens. Though the flowers are small
(only about an inch across), you can see how beautiful
they are. Butterflies must think so too - the Cloudless
Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) uses it as a nectar
source, while the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus),
the Common Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
and the Tropical Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus oileus)
use it as a larval food source.
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Behind the Name :
This species of Sida can be
identified by the long hairs on the leaf stalks and
narrow bracts (see picture below). Two variants of Sida
ciliaris are found in Texas. The variants differ
in leaf shape and carpels.
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Sida ciliaris
var. ciliaris
syn = Sida muricata
- Sida ciliaris var. mexicana
Scientific synonyms: Malvastrum
linearifolium, Pseudomalachra ciliaris,
Sida anomala var. mexicana, Sida
fasciculata, Sida muricata.
Definitions:
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Sida -
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Greek type of water-lily
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ciliaris-
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From the Latin cilium (eyelash)
and aris (of or pertaining to); meaning fringed
with hair
There are 200 + species in the genus
Sida. They are located in warmer areas of the world,
with many in Latin America.
Full Names:
In order to be botanically accurate,
I will list the full scientific names including the
botanists' names. (Dave says it is overkill, but Oh
well.)
syn = Malvastrum linearifolium S. Buckley
syn = Pseudomalachra ciliaris (C. Linnaeus)
H. C. Monteiro
syn = Sida anomala A. de Saint-Hilaire var.
mexicana (M. Moricand) L. Shinners
syn = Sida fasciculata J. Torrey & A. Gray,
non C. von Willdenow
syn = Sida muricata A. Cavanilles
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Tags :
native Texas wildflower, Texas native
wildflower, Texas native plant, perennial, alternate
leaves, herb, subshrub, full sun, Spring flowers, Summer
flowers, Fall flowers, Winter flowers, full sun, rose
flowers, pink flowers, salmon flowers, purple flowers,
garden worthy, prairies, pastures, coastal, sand dunes,
meadows, plains, sandy soils
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