Fuertesimalva limensis

Native to Mexico and western South America, extending to northwestern Venezuela, this herb or small subshrub grows in open ground, including Andean mountain habitats. Stems and leaves bear star-shaped hairs. The leaves have toothed margins and may be shallowly divided into three to five lobes. Small pink to purple flowers develop in the leaf axils, singly or in groups. Each flower has five petals and numerous stamens joined into a central column. The rounded, flattened fruit separates into several seed-bearing segments. Photographed in Colombia.