Corchorus tridens L.

Global description

Corchorus tridens is an erect plant with simple leaves, alternate, petiolate and stipulated. The limb is linear, with toothed margin. The first tooth at the base is bent back and extended by a filament. The flowers are arranged in bundles, opposite to the petioles. They are large, yellow, sepals and petals free and including many stamens. The fruit is a linear capsule, surmounted by a trifid beak, and opening in 3 valves, containing many polyhedral seeds.

Cotyledons

The cotyledons are orbicular to oval. They are borne by a petiole 5 mm long. The blade is 4 mm long and 3 mm wide. The top and base of the limb are rounded.

First leaves

The first leaves are simple and alternate. They are stalked and framed by linear stipules. The blade is linear lanceolate, 2 to 4 cm long and 4 to 5 mm wide. It is marked with 5 to 7 pairs of secondary veins. The margin is toothed. From the third or fourth leaf, the first tooth, on each side of the base of the limb, is curved back and extended by a filament. The stem and leaves are hairless.

General habit

Corchorus tridens is erect. The plant is little branched, especially at the base. It measures up to 60 cm in height.

Underground system

The root is a taproot.

Stem

The stem is cylindrical and solid. It is robust and glabrous, sometimes subwoody at the base.

Leaf

The leaves are simple and alternate. They are borne by a petiole 5 to 15 mm long. The petiole is finely pubescent, framed at the base by two linear stipules, 4 to 7 mm long and quickly deciduous. The lamina is linear lanceolate, at the top in acute corner and at the base in wide or truncated corner. It is 6 to 10 cm long but rarely more than 15 mm wide. The margin is toothed. The first tooth, at the base of the limb, is bent back and extended by a filament that can be 10 mm long and purple in color. The lamina is trinervated at the base and marked with numerous pairs of secondary veins. The upper side is glabrous, the lower side has some very short hairs, along the veins. The leaves are bright green.

Flower

The flowers are arranged by 2 to 6, in bundles opposite to the petioles. The flowers are borne by a short peduncle of 1 mm. The calyx is formed of 5 free sepals, linear in shape, apiculated apex. They are 5 mm long. The corolla is composed of 5 free petals with a rounded apex and a narrow base, 5 mm long. The corolla is yellow in color. The stamens are very numerous. The ovary is oblong, surmounted by a short style.

Fruit

The fruit is a dehiscent, linear, trigonal cross-section capsule with 3 valves. The capsules are striated longitudinally. They are 3 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3 mm in diameter. They have, at the top, a short beak separating into three points. The outer wall is glabrous. Each capsule contains a large number of seeds.

Seed

The seeds are of polyhedric in shape. They are 1.5 mm long and 1 mm wide. The integument is smooth and dark brown in color.

https://www.gbif.org/species/3152090