Abutilon theophrasti
In order to disperse the seeds for reproduction, each carpel in the plant is opened with a vertical slit along the outer edge.[9] The plant is also used to make ropes, coarse cloth, nets, paper, and caulk for boats, and is still cultivated in China to this day.[10] Velvetleaf is used in Chinese traditional medicine as a treatment for dysentery and to treat eye injuries, including opacity of the cornea.[13] Since being introduced to North America in the 18th century, velvetleaf has become an invasive species in agricultural regions of the eastern and midwestern United States.[citation needed] Velvetleaf is a tall plant that can cause the shorter crops around it to not thrive by severely reducing light penetration into them.[4] In order to eradicate velvetleaf, individual plants should be dug up or pulled out manually and not tilled or plowed to avoid seed germination.
Scientific classificationPlantaeTracheophytesAngiospermsEudicotsRosidsMalvalesMalvaceaeAbutilonBinomial nameMedik.annual plantfamilysouthern Asiatype speciesspecific epithetTheophrastusSchizocarpcarpelpodzolssoil pH rangebast fibreMaldivesMaldivian cuisineMaldives fishcoconutmas huniKashmirChinese traditional medicinemidwesternnortheasternCanadaEastern MediterraneansoybeansNorth Americainvasive speciesVerticillium dahliaeHelicoverpa zeaHeliothis virescensLiorhyssus hyalinusNiesthrea louisianicaAlthaeus folkertsiPhomopsis longicollaTurnip mosaic virusPeromyscus maniculatusPeromyscus leucopusXavier Romero-FriasWikidataWikispeciesEcocropFloraBaseiNaturalistNatureServeNSWFloraNTFloraObservation.orgOpen Tree of LifePlant ListTropicosVicFlora