Broom Jute. Common Sida. Arrow-leaf Sida
Sida rhombifolia

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

Sida rhombifolia is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Scrub, open slopes and streamsides in southern China. Uncultivated land and open areas in Sal forests at elevations up to 1,500 metres in Nepal.

Pantropical.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Azores, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America*, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Jamacia*, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Lesser Antilles, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mexico*, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, North America, Oman, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America*, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies*, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

A tea is made from the leaves. Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The leaves contain around 7.4% protein.

Medicine

Rating: 3

A decoction of the whole plant is used as a treatment for fevers. A paste of the plant is used to treat indigestion. It is also used as a poultice in the treatment of headaches, boils, cramps, rheumatism, toothache, chapped lips and pimples. The plant is ground and mixed with soft grease and sugar to make a poultice that is applied to soften abscesses and release pus. The leaves are diuretic. An infusion is used to treat dysentery. The juice of the leaves is mixed with vinegar to make an anti-inflammatory and digestive remedy. A decoction of the leaves is used to bathe wounds. The leaves are applied to the head as a poultice to remedy headache. The yellow flowers are eaten with wild ginger in order to ease labour. The root is scraped into sea water and the mixture drunk as a treatment for diarrhoea, dysentery and abdominal upsets. A paste of the root is applied to boils. The plant contains cryptolepine, ephedrine and vasicine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Other

Rating: 3

A good quality fibre obtained from the bark is used for making ropes and twine. Easily extracted, it is a fine, strong, lustrous, white fibre. Experiments made with the fibre show that a cord 12.5 mm in circumference can sustain a weight of 180 kilos. The stems are gathered in the morning, tied into bundles and then used as brooms.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

Grows wild in a range of soil types, from fertile to degraded condition. The awned seeds are spread by adhering to clothing and livestock, in mud on vehicles, and as contaminants in hay and seed crops. The plant has become established in habitats through much of the tropics and has been classified as 'Invasive' in many areas. This species is usually confined to waste ground, such as roadsides and rocky areas, stock camps or rabbit warrens, but can be competitive in pasture, because of its unpalatability to livestock.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Established in habitats through much of the tropics and has been classified as 'Invasive' in many areas. Common sida (Sida rhombifolia) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in the Northern Territory, Australia where it is actively managed by community groups. It is also regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales, and as a minor or potential environmental weed in Victoria, Australia.

Its other names

Local names

Afata, Arrowleaf sida, Bai banhbo, Bai bei huang hua ren, Bhiunli, Big Jack, Broomjute sida, Bunga padang, Chilequitiqui, Guanxuma, Guaxuma, Jerun, Kanteang bay sa nhi, Kat mawn, Katsi-ne, Label-baba, Lemak ketam, Maa dhiggaa, Mautofu, Ntalala, Otok-otok, Paddy's lucerne, Perdu sapu, Quebe, Seleguri, Sida daun lancip, Sidaguri, Tapak leman, Teaweed, Uvivane. Arrow leaf sida, arrow-leaf sida, bloom weed, broom weed, broomstick, coffee bush, common sida, country mallow Cuba jute,, Cuban jute, flaxweed, Indian hemp, jelly leaf, jellyleaf, Pretoria sida, Queensland hemp, rhomboid ilima, shrub sida, sida retusa, sida weed, sida-retusa.

Synonyms

Malva rhombifolia (L.) E.H.L.Krause. Sida alba Cav. Non L. Sida compressa Wall. Sida insularis Hatus.