Herissantia crispa

Herissantia crispa (L.) Brizicky

Common Names: Bladder Mallow

Family: Malvaceae

Habit: Herissantia crispa grows as a crawling annual/perennial herb to small shrub up to 1 m in height.  The leaves are arranged alternately, cordate to 5 cm in length, with an acute leaf apex, dentate/crenate margin and cordate base. The vegetation has stellate pubescence.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are solitary in leaf axils.  The calyx has 5 fused green sepals. The corolla has 5 fused white, yellow or salmon petals. There are numerous stamens fused around the style in a column.  The ovary is superior with numerous locules and numerous seeds.  The fruit is a numerous lobed inflated loculicidal capsule.  All parts of the flower are covered in stellate hairs.

Habitat: Herissantia crispa grows in Human Altered environments (yards, roadsides/abandoned fields).

Distribution: Herissantia crispa occurs on all island groupings in the Lucayan Archipelago, the Caribbean region, Mexico, Central and South America, Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Herissantia crispa is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.