Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.

Abelmoschus species are herbs, undershrubs or small trees. Branches with simple prickly or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, palmately lobed or palmilobed, usually sagittate to hastate with to-parted segments or pennilobed, margins crenate-dentate, rarely entire, coriaceous, petiolate, stipulate. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, solitary or cymes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, inarticulate, epicalyx 4-16, free, base rarely connate, persistent to caducous, calyx 5 lobed or toothed at tip, base connate, valvate, corolla large, 5, yellow with dark purple, white or pink. Stamens indefinite, monadelphous, forming an epipetalous staminal tube united with corolla, filament short, introrse, anthers basifixed, throughout. Ovary superior, 5 locular, ovules many, style 1, 5 branched distally, stigma discoid. Fruit capsule, ovoid to cylindric, apex beaked or mucronate, dehiscent with longitudinal slits towards the base. Seed many, reniform or globose, smooth.

Shrub

Flowering: July-October. Fruiting: October-December

Fl.& Fr.: September – April

Abelmoschus species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: July—October/October—December.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual or perennial herbs or undershrubs, about 1-3 m tall. Stem and branches hirsute with simple prickly or stellate yellow hairs. Roots somewhat tuberlike, but not swollen. Leaves alternate, extremely variable both in size and shape, palmately lobed or palmilobed, transversely orbicular to elliptic, about 3-19 x 2.8-18 cm across, base cordate, 3-7 nerved, usually sagittate to hastate with to-parted segments, about 5-9, lanceolate-obovate, margins dentate-serrate, rarely entire, apex acute to acuminate, sparely hirsute with simple hairs both above and beneath, becoming glabrescent later, coriaceous, petiole usually longer than the leaf lamina, hirsute, about 2-20 cm long, stipules filiform, linear, about 5-12 mm long. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, solitary. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, inarticulate, about 1.5-6 cm long, epicalyx 6-10, free, base rarely connate, segments about 2-3 x 1-2 mm across, calyx 5 lobed, base connate, valvate, membranous, sericeous inside, stellate tomentose outside, about 1.5-3 cm long, corolla large, 5, yellow with dark purple near the centre, obovate, apex rounded, glabrous, about 10 cm across. Stamens indefinite, monadelphous, about 2.5 cm long, forming an epipetalous staminal tube united with corolla, filament short, introrse, anthers basifixed, throughout. Ovary superior, 5 locular, ovules many. Fruit capsule, ovoid-globose, about 4-8 x 2.5 cm across, apex beaked or acuminate, dehiscent with longitudinal slits towards the base, densely hispid with simple hairs. Seed many, reniform or globose, about 3-4 mm across, concentrically ribbed, minutely stellate hairy or glabrous, musk scented, black.

Annual herbs, ca. 3-5 m high, yellow hispid-hairy, rarely glabrous or also pale pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate; stipules ca. 5-10 mm long, linear to filiform; petioles ca. 2-20 cm long, brown blotches at base; lamina ca. 4-18 x 3-20 cm, polymorphic, angular or 3-7-palmilobed to palmiparted , ovate, obovate-oblong, obtuse at base, acute or acuminate at apex, coarsely serrate to dentate, rarely entire; secondary nerves 5-9 pairs. Flowers axillary, solitary; pedicels ca. 1.5-6 cm; epicalyx 6-10 segmented, ca. 10-15 x 1-2 mm, linear, persistent; Calyx ca. 1.5-3 cm long, stellate-tomentose outside, sericeous inside; Corolla ca. 10 cm across, yellow with dark purple centre; bracteoles linear, ca. 1.5 x 0.4 cm; Sepals ca. 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1.0 cm, spatheaceous, ovate, acuminate; petals ca. 6 x 5 cm, obovate, fleshy and ciliate at base, rounded at apex. Capsules ca. 4-8 x 2.5 cm, 5 celled, 5 angled, ovoid to globose, acuminate with a rostrum of ca. 5 mm. Seeds reniform, black-brown, ca. 3-5 mm, glabrous or minutely stellate-hairy, often musk scented.

Leaves 4-18´3-20cm, angular or 3-7-palmilobed, lobes linear, lanceolate, obtuse, apex acute, margin serrate ; petioles 2-20cm; stipules 5-0mm linear, hairy. Flowers 10-12cm across

Abelmoschus species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Forests slopes and dry places.

Grasslands

Throughout Assam

Common

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Threats recoded

It is found growing wild in the tropical forest

Used in Ayurvedic, Unani and folk medicine. Seeds used to produce high grade perfume, which is used as an adulterant for animal musk perfume, known as “Amrette seed oil perfume” also used as flavor coffee.

Used for making cosmetics and perfumes of oriental-type and also flavours for soft and alcoholic drinks and some food items.

Used in Aromatherapy to aid and relieve muscular pains, cramps and skin problems, as well as to remove anxiety and other nerve related problems., The whole plant is a heart tonic and also effective for rheumatism, coughs, fever and spasma.