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DESCRIPTION:
Velvetleaf, a summer annual broadleaf, is an important weed of many crops in the United States and is particularly problematic where cotton, corn, or soybeans are major crops. It severely reduces light penetration to crops because of its tall growth. Seedlings have one round cotyledon (seed leaf) and another slightly heart-shaped cotyledon, both covered with fine, soft hairs. Mature plants may be 5 feet (1.5 m) or more tall, with leaves that alternate along the stem, are heart-shaped, and have pointed tips. Five-petalled, yellow flowers are borne on stalks arising from the junction between the leaf and the stem. The male structures are fused to form a tube. Fruit capsules have 9 to 15 segments, each containing gray-brown, kidney-shaped seeds. Seeds can remain viable soil for 50 years. If infestations are allowed to persist and produce seed, this weed can be troublesome.
Broadleaf ID illustration.
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