Lawe or devil's cotton (Abroma augustum) is a plant species in Malvaceae, a small tree or bush that is erect, up to 10 m tall but generally 2-3 m tall, stems and twigs covered with star hair that are sharp, brittle and cause skin itching, sometimes also with glandular hair.
A. augustum has a single leaf, alternating, has a long stalk, a heart-shaped base, a pointed tip with a very variable base whose leaves near the base of the branch have a circular shape from the egg to the heart, 3-5 curves, diameter 20-37 cm, while the leaves near the tips of twigs have elongated shapes with smooth toothed edges.
The flowers gather in cymes at the tips of the twigs or face leaves, 1-4 buds, 1-3 cm long stems and 6-8 mm bractea. Hanging flowers, 3-5 cm in diameter, 5 angles and 1-3.5 cm long stems. The petals have 5 leaves, share a deep, triangular, 15-20 mm long, 6 mm wide and greenish.
The crown has 5 leaves, spoon-shaped, 2-3.5 cm long, 1 cm wide, dark purple or red or yellow, concave and white base, drooping and hanging. Stoneware-shaped stamens, 15 anthers that alternate between 3 anthers and 1 staminodium.
Square fruit, bell or cone upside down, have 5 wings, have a beak or not, the edges are broken showing space, the sides divide according to the bulkhead, 4-5 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. Cylindrical or breech-shaped seeds, 3-4 mm long, 2 mm wide and black.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Byttnerioideae
Genus: Abroma Jacq. in Hort. Bot. Vindob. 3: 3, t. 1 (1776)
Species: Abroma augustum (L.) L.f. in Suppl. Pl.: 341 (1782)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Abroma fastuosum Jacq. in Hort. Bot. Vindob. 3: 3 (1776)
Theobroma augustum L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 12. 2: 233 (1767)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Abroma alatum Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 605 (1837)
Abroma angulatum Lam. in Encycl. 1: 126 (1783)
Abroma angulosum Poir. in Encycl., Suppl. 1: 322 (1810)
Abroma commune Blanco (1837)
Abroma denticulatum Miq. in Pl. Jungh.: 288 (1854)
Abroma elongatum Lam. (1783)
Abroma javanicum Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 1(2): 183 (1859)
Abroma molle DC. in Prodr. 1: 485 (1824)
Abroma muricata F.Dietr. ex Reider in Vollst. Prakt. Handb. Gesammten Blumengärtn.: 63 (1843)
Abroma obliquum C.Presl in Reliq. Haenk. 2: 143 (1835)
Abroma sinuosum W.Bull in Nursery Cat. (William Bull) 199: 11 (1884)
Abroma wheleri Retz. in Observ. Bot. 5: 27 (1788)
PUBLICATIONS
Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.
Chou, S., Chhnang, P. & Kim, Y. (2016). A Checklist for the Seed Plants of Cambodia: 1-272. National Institute of Biological Resources, Korea.
Choudhary, R.K., Srivastava, R.C., Das, A.K. & Lee, J. (2012). Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of Upper Siang district of eastern Himalaya in North East India. Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy 42: 222-246.
Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.
Grierson, A.J.C. & Long, D.G. (2001). Flora of Bhutan 2: 1-1675. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Hancock, I.R. & Henderson, C.P. (1988). Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin Dodo Creek Research Station 7: 1-203.
Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.
Lachenaud, O. & al. (2013). New records for the flora of Cameroon, including a new species of Psychotria (Rubiaceae) and range extensions for some rare species. Plant ecology and evolution 146: 121-133.
Lejoly, J. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Flore de la Tshopo (RD Congo): Familles des Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae. Taxonomania 29: 1-41.
Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.
Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.
Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.
Robyns, W. & al. (eds.) (1948-1963). Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi 1-10.
Sarmah, K.K. & Borthakur, S.K. (2009). A checklist of angiospermic plants of Manas national park in Assam, India. Pleione 3: 190-200.
Shamso, E. & Hamdy, R. (2010). Melhania steudneri (Sterculiaceae) new record for Egypt, and a synopsis of the Sterculiaceae in Egypt. Nordic Journal of Botany 28: 174-181.
Sita, P. & Moutsambote, J.-M. (2005). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Congo, ed. sept. 2005: 1-158. ORSTOM, Centre de Brazzaville.
Turner, I.M. (1995 publ. 1997). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(2): 347-655.
Wu, Z., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D. (eds.) (2007). Flora of China 12: 1-534. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
VERNACULAR NAME
Buru: Runa
Chinese (simplified): 昂天莲
Chinese (traditional): 昂天蓮
English: Lawe, Devil’s Cotton, Perennial Indian hemp, Cotton abroma
Finnish: Lemmonmalja
Halmahera: Jaba oto
Indonesian: Kapas Hantu, Lawe
Java: Kapasan, Lawe, Sentolo, Waron
Kannada: Devva hatti, Bhangi mara, Melpundi gida
Lampung: Kĕbong pĕngayoh, Rebong pengayoh
Malayalam: Ulat Kambal
Melayu: Kapas hantu
Minangkabau: Barèh-barèh
Nepali: उल्तकम्बल - चिन्ने - सानु कापसे - पिसाच करपास Ulatkambal, Chinne, Sanu kapase, Pisach karpas
Palauan: Lab
Slovak: Abroma majestátna
Sunda: Kaworo, Ki kecangkir, Ki cacangkir, Ki tèspong
Ternate: Ame-ame
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