Sleepy Morning is a short-lived shrub or subshrub sometimes reaching 2 m
in height and 2 cm in stem diameter. Sleepy morning develops a weak
taproot, robust lateral roots, and abundant fine roots. The roots are
brown and flexible. This shrub usually has a single, strong stem emerging
from the ground, but frequently branches near the ground. The young stems
and leaves are covered with a grey, velvety hairs. The alternate leaves
are narrowly ovate or oblong with a rounded to heart-shaped base,
irregularly serrate edges, and a rounded to acute tip. The stalks are
0.5-3.3 cm long and the blades are 2-12 cm long and 1-7 cm broad.
Inflorescences are usually dense clusters in leaf axils, that contain
fragrant, yellow to orange flowers. Each 2-mm capsule holds one tiny,
black, obovoid seed. Sleepy Morning is native to Tropical & Subtropical
America, naturalized in Peninsular India, Tropical Asia and Africa.
Identification credit: Sankara Rao
Photographed at Hebbal Campus, Bangalore.
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The flower labeled Sleepy Morning is ...