spurred anoda

Family

Malvaceae

Scientific Name

Anoda cristata

Other Common Names:

crested anoda

Synonyms (former Scientific Names):

Sida cristata

Anoda acerifolia

Anoda lavaterioides

Habit

Spurred anoda is freely branching from the base and may reach 3 1/2 feet in height. This plant has a low growing, spreading habit and the stems can spread four to five feet from the taproot. The leaves are alternate, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, and are usually triangular or arrowhead-shaped.

Leaves

Erect annual with alternate, triangular-shaped leaves that are coarsely toothed. Alternate, hairy on both surfaces, approximately 2 to 4 inches long, and triangular in outline. Leaves are coarsely toothed and have three distinct lobes. Leaf petioles often have stipules at the base.

Identifying Characteristics

Seedlings with 1 round and 1 heart-shaped cotyledon, and plants with triangular-shaped, coarsely-toothed leaves.

Flower Seed Head

Solitary flowers arise from the area between the petioles and the stem (leaf axils). Flowers are 7 to 12 mm wide with petals that are light blue to lavender in color.

Seed Fruit

A capsule containing 10 to 20 segments each with one 2.8 to 3.2 mm long kidney-shaped brown or black seed.

Where Found

Primarily a weed of agronomic crops found in the southern United States. Fields, roadsides, and waste places.

Growth Habit

upright and nonwoody

Thorns or Spines

not present

Approximate Flower Diameter

Varies:

pencil,

dime

Dominant Flower Color

Varies:

white,

blue,

purple

Flower Symmetry

radial symmetery

Leaf Hairs

has hairs

Leaf Shape

Varies:

oval,

triangle

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Margin

Varies:

lobed,

serrated

Leaf Structure

simple

Leaf Stalk

Varies:

shorter than leaf,

longer than leaf

Stem Hairs

has hairs

Stem Cross Section

round or oval

Milky Sap

not present

Root Structure

fibrous

Life Cycle

summer annual

Ochrea

not present

Plant Type

Herb