Now blooming: Common Wireweed

Common Wireweed (Sida acuta) is a common wildflower that can be found blooming just about everywhere at this time of year. Wireweed is in the mallow family (Malvaceae) and may have originated in Central America but it is now spread throughout the tropics and can be considered a weed in some places. The genus Sida contains over 150 species and it is speculated that more than 200 species may exist.

An excellent nectar plant for small butterflies, patches of Wireweed tend to be buzzing with pollinators and small butterflies. In the past few weeks I have observed a few species of Checkerspots, well over a dozen species of Skippers and many other tiny butterflies frequenting patches of these flowers in bloom.

What’s in a name?: The genus name Sida was adapted by Carl Linnaeus from Side, the ancient Greek name for the waterlily (Nymphaea alba L.). The waterlily and pomegranate tree were both given names containing the root Side by Theophrastus, the Father of Botany. Theophrastus (371 – c. 287 BC) was a Greek scholar who wrote two important botanical treatises including the 10 book Enquiry into Plants and the 8 volume On the Causes of Plants. These books contain many important observations on the growth and properties of plants and are considered among the most important studies of flora from antiquity.