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Velvetleaf is a ubiquitous, graceless plant loved by few but with a long history. The stems can reach up to 7' tall and are covered with short hairs. Flowers develop singly on 1" stalks arising from a leaf axil. Each flower is 3/4" across; it has 5 light-green, lance-shaped sepals covered in fine hairs and shorter than the petals, 5 golden yellow petals widest at their tips, numerous stamens with golden-yellow anthers, and a single pistil with multiply-branched styles. Velvetleaf was deliberately introduced to North America (by Ben Franklin) sometime before 1754 as a fiber crop, but soon escaped cultivation; before the introduction of herbicides, it was a serious agricultural pest, especially in corn fields. Native to Asia.

Abutilon

Abutilon theophrasti

velvetleaf [Blooms: Jul-Sep]