Swampmallows

مستنقع الخبيزة

COMMON NAME: Swampmallows

ARABIC: مستنقع الخبيزة

BOTANICAL NAME: Pavonia arabica Hochst. ex Steud.

SYNONYMS: Malache arabica (Hochst. ex Steud.) Kuntze

FAMILY: MALVACEAE

KIND: Native

EMIRATE: Sharjah

GROWTH FORMS: Herbs

HABITATS: Gulley

TYPES: Perennial

REMARKS: Rare in UAE. Recorded by G.R. Feulner from a single locality in the lower hills near Khor Fakkan. The area is developing fast with housing and roads which may damage the habitat of this species.

DESCRIPTION:

Perennial, stems branched, erect, up to 40 cm, covered with hairs and glands. Leaves oval, 1–3.5 × 1.5–4 cm, sparsely toothed, pointed tips, hairy on both surfaces, on stalks up to 4 cm long. Flowers solitary, pink/white, on 1–2 cm thin stalks from leaf nodes, about 1.2 cm across, 5 petals, surrounded by hairy calyx as long as the flower. Fruit round, consisting of triangular portions (mericarps), enclosed by thin sepals of persisting calyx. Flowering from January to April.

REFERENCES:

M.V.D jongbloed, G.R. Fuelner, B. Boer, A.R. Western. the comprehensive guide to the wild flowers of the United Arab Emirates. Environmental research and wildlife Development agency, Abu Dhabi, 2003. V.V. Byalt, V.M. Korshunov, M.V. Korshunov. Cadaster of the Flora of Fujairah Emirate (United Arab Emirates). Al Fujairah 2021. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:562754-1#synonyms