Bristly Mallow

Scientific Name - Modiola caroliniana (L.) G. Don
Family - Malvaceae

Creeping, prostrate perennial rooting at nodes. Leaves, alternate, with six to seven lobes and irregular toothed margins. Flowers, orange-red to deep purplish-pink, born singly from stem nodes. Fruit composed of a ring of 15 to 25 sections that radiate out from a central point of attachment. Reproduces by seed. Frequently found on the lower Piedmont and Coastal plain regions of the southern states, Virginia south into Florida, and west to Texas, California and Hawaii. Also occurs in the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America, South Africa and Australia.