木里秋葵 mu li qiu kui

Herbs to 1 m tall, velutinous. Stem ca. 5 mm thick, densely hirsute with yellow and long hairs. Stipule silklike, 1-1.5 cm, densely hirsute; petiole 1-4 cm, densely yellow hirsute; leaf blades on proximal part of stem round-cordate, 6-9 cm in diam., margin broadly dentate, apex obtuse or acute, those on distal part of stem ovate-sagittate, 7-10 × 5-7 cm, densely yellow hirsute, margin broadly dentate, apex obtuse. Flowers unknown. Capsule solitary or racemelike, axillary, stipe 2-4.5 cm, densely hirsute with yellow hairs. Epicalyx lobes 12, filiform, 15-30 × 2-3 mm, densely yellow hirsute. Capsule ovoid-ellipsoid, 4.5-5.5 × 2.5-3 cm, densely yellow hirsute, shortly beaked, hirsute on adaxial surface. Seeds reniform, ca. 4 mm, glandularly striate.

● Grassy slopes; 1200-2100 m. SW Sichuan (Miyi, Muli).

Abelmoschus muliensis differs from the other Chinese members of the genus by the short petioles, not more than 4 cm. It is most likely to be confused with A. crinitus but has broader epicalyx lobes, 2-3 mm, not 1-2 mm, wide.