Description :

• Erect to spreading suffrutices
• Leaves 3-5-palmately lobed to unlobed, palmately 3-7-nerved with a conspicuous gland near base of central nerve on lower surface
• Flowers axillary, solitary or crowded towards ends of branches
• Epicalyx of 5 bracts fused in lower third
• Calyx campanulate, shorter than epicalyx
• Petals longer than epicalyx, rose-pink or mauve
• Staminal tube ± as long as petals, ± truncate at apex, bearing almost sessile anthers in upper half
• Gynoecium of 5 carpels, each with 1 ovule; style branches 10, very short, recurved; stigmas capitate, dark purple, penicillate
• Fruit a subglobose schizocarp with 5 trigonous, dorsally convex mericarps with retrorsely barbed spines mainly at apex, indehiscent
• Seeds ± reniform, minutely hairy to glabrous
• x = 7 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• *Urena L.
  • Linnaeus: 692 (1753)
  • Meeuse: 503 (1960)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 1: * Urena lobata L., pantropical weed, possibly of Asian origin, Namibia (Caprivi), Mpumalanga