Pavonia arabica

Perennial herbs or undershrub, erect, about 15-40 cm tall. Stems, branches densely pubescent with simple and stellate hairs, not viscid. Leaves alternate, simple, ovate-oblong, about 2-3.5 x 1-2.5 cm across, base truncate to obtuse, 5-7 veined, margins entire or towards apex denticulate, apex obtuse with mucronate tip or apiculate, stellate pubescent both above and beneath, petiole stellate pubescent, about 1-2.5 cm long, stipules linear subulate, filiform, stellate hairy, persistent, about 3-4 mm long. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary, terminal panicles or racemes, by the reduction of upper leaves. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, jointed above the middle near apex, densely stellate hairy and with spreading simple hairs, about 1.5-2 cm long, epicalyx segments 10-12, linear, base free, mixed with stellate and simple hairs, persistent, about 10-15 mm long calyx 5 lobed or toothed, campanulate or tubular, base shortly connate sometimes up to middle, persistent, lobes lanceolate-ovate, stellate hairy inside, densely stellate hairy outside, about 3-6 x 2 mm across, corolla showy, yellow, white, blue, pink, petals obovate, hairy near the base, about 7-12 x 5-7 mm across. Staminal column almost as long as petals, about 6 mm long, anthers basifixed, througout. Ovary 5 carpellate, ovules 1 per locule, style 10, 2 per carpel, stigma 10, capitate. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp, oblate or discoid, about 4-5 mm across, not angled, minutely pubescent, mericarps 5, reniform, about 5 x 3 mm across, shortly winged or not, veined reticulately. Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, about 1.5-2 mm across, pubescent with spirally coiled hairs in longitudinal rows, brown.

Malvaceae ?? I’d plz : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (3)- around 500 kb each.

These photographs (i.e. PicsArt_02-18-07.36.56.jpg, PicsArt_02-18-07.38.08.jpg, PicsArt_02-18-07.38.38.jpg) are of Pavonia arabica Hochst. ex Steud. [Malvaceae].

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I did some more digging and saw that this plant was re-discovered by BSI in 2017-18. aHere’s a link to BSI’s rediscovery of it, on page 20-21 of this PDF: https://bsi.gov.in/uploads/documents/ScientificMeeting/english/Dr_RAMESH%20KUMAR%20AZRC.pdf

Thank you sir. I am not a scientist and I don’t understand how taxonomy is finally decided. I’m only trying to see if the plant we came across is Pavonia arabica or its endemic subspecies, for purposes of collecting seeds, growing them and planting them in Rao Jodha Park, and spreading awareness amongst visitors. If it is indeed the endemic species, we also want to try and conserve it and increase its population in the rocky areas of Jodhpur.

And if it’s not the endemic species, then I hope BSI declares that as well, that their paper from 2017-18 is not valid anymore. So that lay people like me can get the right information.

Same here as well.

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References:
Catalogue of Life  BSI Flora of India  Flora of Pakistan  FOP illustration India Biodiversity Portal  Flickr  flickeriver