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Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Allowissadula holosericea (Velvet-leaf mallow)
Lytle, Melody

Allowissadula holosericea

Allowissadula holosericea (Scheele) D.M. Bates

Velvet-leaf Mallow, Chisos Mountain False Indianmallow

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Synonym(s): Abutilon marshii, Wissadula holosericea

USDA Symbol: ALHO4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

An attractive and eye-catching, but coarse-textured, shrub that reaches about 6 feet in height. Its large, chartreuse, heart-shaped leaves are velvety to the touch. Velvet-leaf Mallow has a long flowering season which lasts as long as the weather is warm. Its orange-yellow five-petaled flowers are lovely and attractive to pollinators. The native habitat of this species is on dry, rocky soil in open woodlands on the Edwards Plateau and the Trans-Pecos in Texas and in southern New Mexico and northern Mexico.

Velvet-leaf Mallow is a good choice for a background plant in a xeric garden bed.

 

From the Image Gallery

63 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Semi-evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Cordate
Leaf Pubescence: Stellate
Leaf Margin: Crenate , Dentate , Lobed
Leaf Base: Cordate
Leaf Texture: Leathery
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Inflorescence: Axillary , Corymb , Panicle , Terminal
Fruit Type: Schizocarp
Size Notes: Up to about 6 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: NM , TX
Native Habitat: In dry, rocky soils of the Edwards Plateau and in the Trans-Pecos. Well-drained sand, loam, clay, limestone soils.

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Conditions Comments: Velvet-leaf mallow is striking for its large, heart-shaped leaves and their luxurious texture and for delicate orange flowers. Over the course of the growing season, the plant may become bare underneath. The plant looks attractive with white mistflower, lantana, or big muhly planted in front of it.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Common Checkered Skipper, Texas Powdered Skipper, Common Streaky-Skipper
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Texas Powdered Skipper
(Systasea pulverulenta)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA
Common Streaky-Skipper
(Celotes nessus)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Seed Collection: Collect seed in fall. Seeds prone to weevils.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0271 Collected July 10, 1992 in Comal County by Mary Beth White
NPSOT 0034 Collected Sept. 22, 1990 in Bexar County by Judith C. Berry

2 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-64 Collected 2006-08-23 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Allowissadula holosericea in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Allowissadula holosericea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Allowissadula holosericea

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-13
Research By: TWC Staff, LAL, MWJ

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