Rock Sida

Sida petrophila is an upright, spindly, perennial shrub to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high, usually with a thick covering of yellowish-grey, woolly, star-shaped hairs. Its leaves are arranged alternately, grey-green, felty, 1.5–6 cm (0.59–2.36 in) long, 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) wide, oblong to linear lance-shaped, with wavy or serrated edges. There are stipules 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long, sometimes persisting on older leaves. One or two flowers are borne in leaf axils on a pedicel 7–20 mm (0.28–0.79 in) long, but shorter than the leaves. The sepals are green, with lobes 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and the five petals are yellow and 9–15 mm (0.35–0.59 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months of the year and the fruit is a wrinkled mericarp and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) in diameter, covered with soft, star-shaped hairs.

Rock sida grows on stony slopes and shallow sandy soils in the south-west of Western Australia, and in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.

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