Common Name: Yellow alder, Yellow buttercup.
Yellow alder is a shrub that grows to around 3 feet in height and a native of Tropical America. It is planted in India as an ornamental plant. The flower opens during the morning time and closes off by mid-afternoon. The young branches are greenish in color and pubescent with some white hairs. The simple leaves are arranged in an alternate manner. The leaf stalk and leaf length is around 1.5 cm and 4 cm respectively. The leaves are ellipitic-lanceolate in shape with an acute tip and a cuneate base. The leaf margin is doubly crenate at some places. Two prominent glands are present at the starting point of the leaf lamella. The inflorescence is mostly single; flowers are bright yellow in color with five petals. Two leafy bracteoles (1.5 cm each) are seen; lanceolate in shape with crenate margin. The calyx elements are joined below and measure around 1 cm. The calyx has five sepal teeth which measure around 1.5 cm each. The flower measures around 5 cm across. The petals are obovate in shape and measure around 2.5 cm each. The flower encloses 5 stamens and three styles. The fruit is in the form of a three valve capsule. Yellow alder is often sold in plant nurseries in Tamilnadu as an ornamental house-garden plant. Yellow buttercup is planted in butterfly gardens as a nectar source plant. It is the larval host plant for Tawny coster butterfly.
