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Sida rhombifolia - L.

Common Name Broom Jute. Common Sida. Arrow-leaf Sida
Family Malvaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Scrub, open slopes and streamsides in southern China[266 ]. Uncultivated land and open areas in Sal forests at elevations up to 1,500 metres in Nepal[272 ].
Range Pantropical.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (3 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Sida rhombifolia Broom Jute. Common Sida. Arrow-leaf Sida


edibleplants.org
Sida rhombifolia Broom Jute. Common Sida. Arrow-leaf Sida
Wikimedia.org - Dinesh Valke from Thane, India

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of shrub
Sida rhombifolia is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Malva rhombifolia (L.) E.H.L.Krause. Sida alba Cav. Non L. Sida compressa Wall. Sida insularis Hatus.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses:

A tea is made from the leaves[46 ]. Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[301 ]. The leaves contain around 7.4% protein[301 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Dysentery

A decoction of the whole plant is used as a treatment for fevers[272 , 348 ]. A paste of the plant is used to treat indigestion[272 ]. It is also used as a poultice in the treatment of headaches, boils, cramps, rheumatism, toothache, chapped lips and pimples[272 ]. The plant is ground and mixed with soft grease and sugar to make a poultice that is applied to soften abscesses and release pus[348 ]. The leaves are diuretic[348 ]. An infusion is used to treat dysentery[348 ]. The juice of the leaves is mixed with vinegar to make an anti-inflammatory and digestive remedy[348 ]. A decoction of the leaves is used to bathe wounds[348 ]. The leaves are applied to the head as a poultice to remedy headache[348 ]. The yellow flowers are eaten with wild ginger in order to ease labour[481 ]. The root is scraped into sea water and the mixture drunk as a treatment for diarrhoea, dysentery and abdominal upsets[481 ]. A paste of the root is applied to boils[272 ]. The plant contains cryptolepine, ephedrine and vasicine[348 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

A good quality fibre obtained from the bark is used for making ropes and twine[272 ]. Easily extracted, it is a fine, strong, lustrous, white fibre[459 ]. Experiments made with the fibre show that a cord 12.5 mm in circumference can sustain a weight of 180 kilos[459 ]. The stems are gathered in the morning, tied into bundles and then used as brooms[459 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Coppice  Minor Global Crop

Grows wild in a range of soil types, from fertile to degraded condition[305 ]. The awned seeds are spread by adhering to clothing and livestock, in mud on vehicles, and as contaminants in hay and seed crops. The plant has become established in habitats through much of the tropics and has been classified as 'Invasive' in many areas[305 ]. This species is usually confined to waste ground, such as roadsides and rocky areas, stock camps or rabbit warrens, but can be competitive in pasture, because of its unpalatability to livestock.

Carbon Farming

  • Industrial Crop: Fiber  Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!
  • Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Afata, Arrowleaf sida, Bai banhbo, Bai bei huang hua ren, Bhiunli, Big Jack, Broomjute sida, Bunga padang, Chilequitiqui, Guanxuma, Guaxuma, Jerun, Kanteang bay sa nhi, Kat mawn, Katsi-ne, Label-baba, Lemak ketam, Maa dhiggaa, Mautofu, Ntalala, Otok-otok, Paddy's lucerne, Perdu sapu, Quebe, Seleguri, Sida daun lancip, Sidaguri, Tapak leman, Teaweed, Uvivane. Arrow leaf sida, arrow-leaf sida, bloom weed, broom weed, broomstick, coffee bush, common sida, country mallow Cuba jute,, Cuban jute, flaxweed, Indian hemp, jelly leaf, jellyleaf, Pretoria sida, Queensland hemp, rhomboid ilima, shrub sida, sida retusa, sida weed, sida-retusa.

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Yemen, Egypt (Sinai), China (Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Yunnan Sheng), Taiwan TROPICAL ASIA: Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, California), Mexico (Baja, Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Chiapas, Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Ciudad de México) SOUTHERN AMERICA: Netherlands Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Martinique, United States (Puerto Rico), St. Vincent and Grenadines, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay AFRICA: Cabo Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West), Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Established in habitats through much of the tropics and has been classified as 'Invasive' in many areas[305 ]. Common sida (Sida rhombifolia) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in the Northern Territory, Australia where it is actively managed by community groups. It is also regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales, and as a minor or potential environmental weed in Victoria, Australia.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Sidalcea acuta Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM111
Sidalcea malvifloraCheckerbloom, Dwarf checkerbloom, California checkerbloom, Siskiyou checkerbloomPerennial0.8 5-9  LMHSNM30 
Sidalcea neomexicanaNew Mexico Prairie Mallow, Salt spring checkerbloom, Thurber's checkerbloomPerennial0.8 0-0  LMHSNMWe11 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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