Sida Species, Bracted Fanpetals, Bracted Sida, Fringed Fanpetals

I have not grown this plant. Bracted fanpetals, fringed fanpetals, bracted sida (Sida ciliaris) is a native to Florida, Texas, Puerto Ric...Read Moreo and the Virgin Islands. It is an introduced plant in Hawaii which has naturalized and is known as red ilima. It is a herbaceous annual or short lived perennial which has up to 14 inch tall ascending or prostrate stems. The 3/8 to 5/8 inch long leaves are alternate, pubescent below, glabrous on top and are toothed above the middle. The petioles (leafstalks) are "bearded" meaning that they have long, stiff hairs. The name "cilaris" means "fringed with hairs on the margin" or "eyelash-like" which refers to the stipules (structures on either side of the base of a petiole). Having a diameter of 3/8 inches, the 5 yellow petaled blooms have narrow, hairy bracts and change to a reddish salmon, peach or sometimes a pale purple. The blooms appear apically in small, tight clusters . Two variants can be found in Texas which are Sida ciliaris var. ciliaris and Sida ciliaris var. mexicana. The leaves provide larval food for the Common Checkered Skipper, Tropical Checkered Skipper, Columella Hairstreak, and Gray Hairstreak butterflies.The Cloudless Sulphur uses it as a nectar source.