Uhaloa

Waltheria indica is sometimes grown as an ornamental and is used medicinally.

Erect or ascending subshrubs, up to 1 m tall, multi-branched. Branchlets densely puberulent. Petiole 0.5-1 cm; leaf blade ovate or long elliptic-ovate, 2.5-4.5 × 1.5-3 cm, both surfaces densely puberulent, base rounded or shallowly cordate, margin serrulate, apex obtuse. Inflorescence cymose, capitate,
axillary; peduncle nearly absent to 1.5 cm. Epicalyx lobes nar-rowly lanceolate, ca. 4 mm. Calyx tube-shaped, 5-lobed, 3-4 mm, lobes triangular, much longer than tube. Petals yellowish, spatulate, apex truncate, slightly longer than sepals. Filament tube enclosing ovary. Ovary sessile, puberulent; style inserted obliquely; stigma fimbriate. Capsule obovoid, ca. 3 mm, hairy, 1-seeded, enclosed by persistent calyx. Seed obovate, very small. Fl. summer-autumn.

Weed. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Yunnan [pantropical].

Waltheria americana Linnaeus; W. americana var. indica (Linnaeus) K. Schumann; W. indica var. americana (Linnaeus) R. Brown ex Hosaka; W. makinoi Hayata.

indica: of India

Erect shrubby perennial, up to 50 cm. Most parts of the plant are covered in short shiny hairs. Leaves narrowly lanceolate with irregularly toothed margins. Flowers in dense axillary clusters, yellow.

Common

Hyalites eponina (Dancing acraea or Small orange acraea)

Waltheria indica var. americana (L.) R. Brown ex Hosaka

Waltheria indica var. americana (L.) R. Brown ex Hosaka, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus. 13:224, 1937.

Waltheria americana L., Sp. Pl. 673, 1753.

SPECIMEN SEEN.—“Owhai-hee” (Hawaii) David Nelson (MO).

This specimen, collected on Captain Cook’s Third Voyage, shows that this species is either indigenous in Hawaii or was brought by the Hawaiians (or the Spaniards, if they really visited Hawaii earlier than 1776).

Hawaiian material agrees with that from America in being densely velutinous rather than thinly so, as is that from the western Pacific and southern Asia. The two forms are often regarded as belonging to one species for which Waltheria indica L. is the correct name, or to two distinct species.

We are accepting the view that one pantropical species is involved. The rather conspicuous difference in density of indument may be recognized by maintaining var. americana for the predominantly American densely hairy form and var. indica for the more thinly pubescent Old World plant. Over its wide geographic range Waltheria indica produces many local forms distinguishable by other characters, but these have usually not been afforded taxonomic recognition.

Robert Brown (1818:484) said, “Waltheria indica L. I consider W. americana to be a variety of this sportive species, which seems to be common to all equinoctial countries.” Although this satisfies Article 57 of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature on choice of name when two simultaneously published species are united, and, indeed, is cited as one of the examples to illustrate the application of this article, it does not constitute valid publication of the required combination for var. americana according to Article 33, as it does not indicate that the epithet indica is to be used in the combination W. indica var. americana. Apparently the first usage of this combination was by Hosaka as cited above. He did not cite the basionym but according to Article 33 this only seems to have been a requirement for valid publication of a new combination since 1 January 1953. Citation of R. Brown as author with “L.” in parentheses can be considered a sufficient indirect reference.

Guillemin (1837:365) made the reverse reduction, making the combination “Waltheria americana β indica Linn. Spec. 941.” This was done later than Robert Brown’s publication, so may be disregarded except in synonymy of Waltheria indica var. indica.

Frankenia L.

Waltheria indica L

Waltheria indica L., Sp. Pl., 673, 1753.

This species was published by Linnaeus simultaneously with W. americana. The two were combined by R. Brown, as detailed below. Var. indica does not occur in Hawaii.

Waltheria indica is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that has a pantropical distribution. It is believed to have originated in the Neotropics. Common names include sleepy morning, basora prieta, hierba de soldado, guimauve, mauve-gris, moto-branco, fulutafu, kafaki, and ʻuhaloa (Hawaii). W. indica is a short-lived subshrub or shrub, reaching a height of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a stem diameter of 2 cm (0.79 in). It is most common in dry, disturbed or well-drained, moist habitats. In Puerto Rico, it grows in areas that receive 750–1,800 mm (30–71 in) of annual rainfall and at elevations from sea level to more 400 m (1,300 ft).