Abelmoschus crinitus
# Abelmoschus crinitus

Abelmoschus crinitus is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family. It was first described by Nathaniel Wallich in 1830.

## Habitat

A. crinitus is native to China, the Philippines, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Java. There have been a number of reports of the plant growing in Pakistan but its presence is rare. It is found in deciduous forests and on grassy slopes between 300 and 1300 m.

## Characteristics

A. crinitus is a perennial shrub. Its stems grow up to 1 m tall. The leaves are "ovate-pentagonal" in shape with 3–5 shallow lobes and reach a maximum size of 8×7 cm. Stellate Trichome is present on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, though it is more dense on the underside. The flowers are a "creamy-white to deep orange-yellow" colour and occasionally have a reddish centre. They have 5–6 bracts measuring 7–11 mm in length which are green when in flower and brown when in fruit.

