| General Information |
| Distribution | Native to North America.In the Hawaiian Islands,
naturalized on
Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Maui, Hawai`i.
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Habit
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Stout, malodorous, erect annual herbs; stems branched above, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple hairs.
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Leaves
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Leaves simple, rhomboid to angularly ovate, in juvenile phase large and coarse, later leaves often 8-16 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, margins coarsely doubly lobed, apex acute to acuminate, base oblique, rarely equal, petioles 3-11 cm long.
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Flowers
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Flowers solitary in stem forks, peduncles 6-10 mm long, pedicels stout, 7-20 mm long; calyx angularly tubular, 5-lobed, 3-4.5 cm long, the lobes 0.6-0.8 cm long; corolla white or tinged lavender, 5-lobed, the lobes rounded, 6-9 cm long, separated by sinuses and terminated by a pointed tip; stamens 5; anthers white or purple, 3-4 mm long, opening by slits; ovary 2-celled; style 4-5.5 cm long; stigma 2.5 mm long, 2 mm wide, included.
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Fruit
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Capsules erect, narrowly ovoid to ovoid, 2.5-4 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, opening by 4 valves when ripe, the valves 6-10 mm long, covered with numerous conical spines of various lengths, the persistent calyx base 4-10 mm long, reflexed, margins irregular.
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Seeds
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Seeds numerous, black or dark brownish gray, angularly D-shaped, 3-4 mm long, coarsely pitted, embryo curved, endosperm present.
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Chromosomes
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2n = 21-25, 48
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