Native Plants
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Friday - May 28, 2010
From: Nederland , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: How to distinguish Malvaviscus arboreus from M. a. var. drummondii?
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I have a Turk's Cap plant. How do I tell if it is Malvaviscus arboreus or Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii?ANSWER:
The short answer is if you didn't go to Mexico or Central or South America to get your plant, it's almost certainly Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, our native variety. The type variety, M. a. var. arboreus is native from Mexico to Brazil and the West Indies. If it's a possibility that your plant came from somewhere south of the US border then the simplest distinguishing characteristic is overal leaf shape. Though leaf morphology is quite variable for both varieties, in general, the leaves of our native variety are about as broad (or broader) as they are long. The leaves of Malvaviscus arboreus var. arboreus are generally narrower in width than in length. There are other, more technical differences, but these are the simplest to use.
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