Wild watermelon seedlings

Alternative names: okra, bellflower, mountain watermelon seedling, wild sesame, and melon flower.

Hibiscus plant of Malvaceae family, annual erect or prostrate herb, 25-70 cm tall, with soft stems covered with white star-shaped coarse hairs. Leaves are dimorphic, the lower leaf is round, undivided, the upper leaf is palmately shaped with 3-5 deep lobes, 3-6 cm in diameter, the middle lobe is longer, the two side lobes are shorter, the lobes are obovate to oblong, usually pinnate. The petiole is 2-4 cm long, covered with stellate coarse hairs and stellate pilose; the stipules are linear, about 7 mm long. , covered with stellate coarse hairs. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, the pedicels are about 2.5 cm long, extend up to 4 cm when in fruit, and are covered with star-like coarse bristles; the bracts are 12, linear, about 8 mm long, covered with thick long bristles, and are connate at the base; the calyx is bell-shaped. , light green, 1.5-2 cm long, covered with thick bristles or star-like thick bristles, 5 lobes, membranous, triangular, with longitudinal purple stripes, connate above the middle; flowers are light yellow, inner base purple, diameter 2 -3 cm, petals 5, obovate, about 2 cm long, sparsely covered with very fine pubescence on the outside; stamens about 5 mm long, filaments slender, about 3 mm long, anthers yellow; style branches 5, glabrous. The capsule is oblong and spherical, about 1 cm in diameter, covered with coarse bristles, with 5 pimples, thin, black skin; seeds are kidney-shaped, black, with glandular processes. The flowering period is from July to October. The whole plant and seeds are used as medicine. Collect in summer and autumn, remove mud, dry in the sun or use fresh.