Sida
Sida acuta
Malvaceae
Medicinal, jute substitute, used to make brooms, heavy metal accumulator, cattle feed, pesticide, erosion control or dune stabilization, wildlife habitat.
A perennial herbaceous plant or small shrub that branches profusely from the base, growing to 30-100 cm tall. It has a deep taproot, with leaves arranged alternately and leaf shape is lanceolate and tapering towards both ends. Leaves range in size from 2-9 cm long and 0.5-4 cm wide. Yellow flowers are 1-2 cm across and occur singularly or in small clusters in leaf forks. Each flower produces around 6 seeds, with seed production per plant averaged at around 150. Seeds are generally dormant when released and require a post harvest ripening period at high temperatures for 1-3 months. Sida is a weed of degraded pastures, tree plantations, cereals, root crops, vegetables, planted forests, lawns, roadsides, waste places and thrives in riparian areas. The long taproot means that it can tolerate drought and can re-shoot following damage (slasher).
Sida is host of Anomis flava (cotton semi-looper), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (pink hibiscus mealybug), Phenacoccus parvus (lantana mealy bug), Okra mosaic virus (OMV), White-fly Transmitted Gemini (WTG) viruses, Sida yellow mosaic China virus (SiYMCNV), Crocidosema plebejana (cotton tipworm), Phenacoccus manihoti (cassava mealybug), Dysdercus ruficollis (Cotton stainers), and Calonectria quinqueseptata (leaf spot of Hevea spp.). In a Florida based study, two phytophagous (feed on green plants) thrips were recorded on this weed (Florida). A biological control insect (Calligrapha -Calligrapha pantherina) is being used in northern parts of Australia for Sida spp. The beetle is increasingly found in other parts of Australia. Attracts bees, butterflies and wasps (PZA). A study on a number of sida species list a range of insects visiting flowers, including Mylabris phalerata (yellow-banded blister beetle) which feeds on flowers (Pollination ecology of Sida acuta, S. cordata and S. cordifolia (Malvaceae) - (link - Solomon).