Sida hackettiana W.Fitzg.

Fitzgerald, W.V. (1918) Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia 3: 171. Type: Wingrah Pass, Napier Range (W.V.P.).

Golden Sida; Side, spiked; Sida, Golden; Spiked Sida

Usually grows as a herb sometimes attaining the dimensions of a small shrub about 1 m tall.

Leaf blades about 4.7-6.6 x 1.4-2 cm, marginal teeth not very obvious. Petioles about 7-15 mm long. Stipules filiform, about 3-5 mm long. Both the upper and lower leaf blade surfaces densely clothed in matted stellate hairs.

Inflorescence consists of numerous panicles or spikes of fascicles of 2-4 flowered clusters of flowers. Flowers about 3-4 mm diam. Calyx lobes about 1.5 mm long. The outer surface of the calyx densely clothed in pale brown hairs. Stamens 10, fused to form a staminal column enclosing the ovary. Ovary consisting of 5 or 6 clearly defined carpels. Styles 5 or 6 fused for most of their length. Stigmas 5 or 6. Ovules on per locule.

Calyx clothed in stellate hairs, persistent, enveloping the fruit. Fruit consists of 5 nutlets, each nutlet about 2 mm long. Seeds slightly smaller than the nutlets.

At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade ovate, apex acute to obtuse, base rounded. Lower surface of the leaf blade clothed in pale stellate hairs, upper surface sparsely clothed in stellate hairs. Stipules linear, 5-8 mm long, clothed in stellate hairs. Terminal bud, stems and petioles densely clothed in stellate hairs. Seed germination time 24 days.

Occurs in WA, NT, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as southern inland New South Wales. Altitudinal range in northern Australia from near sea level to 800 m. Often a weed of agricultural land, also found in open forest, vine thicket, disturbed monsoon forest and rain forest margins. Recent taxonomic studies indicate that our species concept of S. subspicata will have to be reappraised when the revisionary work is published.

Sida subspicata Benth. Flora Australiensis 1: 195 (1863), Type: Aust., Gulf of Carpentaria, R. Brown; Hooker and Sturts Creeks, F. Mueller. Queensland. Sida subspicata Benth. f. subspicata, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 944(1928).