Sida acuta

Common wireweed
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Embryophytes
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Sida
Species:	S. acuta
Binomial name
	Sida acuta; Burm.f.
Synonyms
	Sida carpinifolia L.f.

Sida acuta, the common wireweed,^[3] is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is believed to have originated in Central America, but today has a pantropical distribution and is considered a weed in some areas.^[4] In India, the indigenous people of Garo Hills in Meghalaya use this plant to make brooms.^[5]

In northern Australia, Sida acuta is considered an invasive species, and the beetle Calligrapha pantherina has been introduced as a biological control agent in an attempt to control the plant.^[6]

Description

Plant

Undershrub, with mucilaginous juice, aerial, erect, cylindrical, branched, solid, green.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, lanceolate to linear, rarely ovate to oblong, obtuse at the base, acute at the apex, coarsely and remotely serrate; petiole much shorter than the blade; stipulate, stipules free-lateral, unequally paired at the node, reticulate venation.

Inflorescence

Cymose

Flower

Small, axillary, 2–3 in a cluster; pedicels jointed at the middle, epicalyx absent, complete, bisexual, regular, actinomorphic, hypogynus, pentamerous, yellow.

Calyx

Sepals: five, gamosepalous, campanulate, slightly accrescent, persistent, valvate.

Corolla

Petals: five, polypetalous but slightly connate below and jointed with the staminal column, twisted.

Androecium

Stamens many, monadelphous, arranged on the staminal column; staminal column is shorter than the petals, divided above into numerous filaments, anthers monothecous, reniform, basifixed, filament short, extrorse. Pollen are spherical with spikes, size is approximately 90 microns.

Gynoecium

Carples: five, syncarpous, ovary superior, penta or multilocular with axile placentation, one ovule in each locule; style 1, passing through the staminal tube; stigma globular, correspond to the number of carpels.

Fruit

A schizocarpic mericarp, seed 1 in each mericarp.

Classification and identification (Bentham and Hooker's system)

Class: Dicotyledonae

I) Reticulate venation.

II) Flower pentamerous.

Sub-class: Polypetalae

I) Petals free.

Series: Thalamiflorae

I) Flower hypogynus; ovary superior.

Order: Malvales

I) Stamens indefinite, monadelphous.

II) Ovary 5 carpellary, placentation axile.

Family: Malvaceae

I) Plant: mucilaginous.

II) Leaves: simple with free lateral stipule.

III) Flower: bisexual, petals: five, twisted; monadelphous stamen, anther one-celled, reniform.

Genus: Sida

I) Staminal column without teeth at apex.

II) Flowers without epicalyx.

III) Ovule 1 in each locule; seed 1 in each mericarp.

Species: S.acuta

I) Leaf base obtuse, apex acute.

Floral formula of Sida acuta

Br,+,K⁵,C⁵^,A_,G(⁵)

Names

Vernacular name

Source:^[7]

Sanskrit: bala
Bengali: kureta/berela^[8] (in Tripura)
Hindi: kareta/kharenti
Odia (Oriya): siobala
Gujrati: bala/jangli menthi
Marathi: chikana
Malayalam: malatanni
Tamil: malaidangi,Arivaal Mooku Pachilai
Telugu: nelabenda
Kannada: vishakaddi
Sinhala: gasbevila
Burmese: katsayna
Yoruba: Ìsékètu
mutsvairo: Shona language
Asante Twi: Tweta

References

↑ "Sida acuta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
↑ "Sida carpinifolia L. f." ITIS Standard Reports. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
↑ NRCS. "Sida acuta". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 November 2015.
↑ Parsons, William Thomas; Eric George Cuthbertson (2001). Noxious weeds of Australia (2 ed.). CSIRO Publishing. pp. 508–509. ISBN 978-0-643-06514-7.
↑ Shaw, Ranjan (2 December 2025). "Sida acuta Burm.f. (Malvaceae) as Indigenous brooms in Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India" (PDF). International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences. 12 (2): 31–36 – via International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences.
↑ Julien, M.H.; McFadyen, R.E.; Cullen, Jim (2012). Biological Control of Weeds in Australia. Csiro Publishing. pp. 525–526. ISBN 978-0-643-09993-7.
↑ Mukherjee, H. (1981). Plant Groups (9 ed.). New Central Book Agency Pvt Ltd. p. 1111. ISBN 9788173810947.
↑ Deb, D.B. (1981). The Flora of Tripura State Vol. I. New Delhi: Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers. p. 306.

Sida acuta in West African plants – A Photo Guide.

[GRIN-1] "Sida acuta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 29 March 2009.

[2] "Sida carpinifolia L. f." ITIS Standard Reports. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 29 March 2009.

[3] NRCS. "Sida acuta". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 November 2015.

[4] Parsons, William Thomas; Eric George Cuthbertson (2001). Noxious weeds of Australia (2 ed.). CSIRO Publishing. pp. 508–509. ISBN 978-0-643-06514-7.

[5] Shaw, Ranjan (2 December 2025). "Sida acuta Burm.f. (Malvaceae) as Indigenous brooms in Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India" (PDF). International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences. 12 (2): 31–36 – via International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences.

[Julien-6] Julien, M.H.; McFadyen, R.E.; Cullen, Jim (2012). Biological Control of Weeds in Australia. Csiro Publishing. pp. 525–526. ISBN 978-0-643-09993-7.

[7] Mukherjee, H. (1981). Plant Groups (9 ed.). New Central Book Agency Pvt Ltd. p. 1111. ISBN 9788173810947.

[8] Deb, D.B. (1981). The Flora of Tripura State Vol. I. New Delhi: Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers. p. 306.

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