( 3814 ) 
MALVA PURPURATA. PurPLeE MALLow. 
Class and Order. 
MonapevpuiA PoLyAnprRia. 
( Nat. Ord.—Matvacez. ) 
- Generic Character. 
Calyx cinctus involucro 3-phyllo rarius 5—6- phyllo, 
bracteolis oblongis setaceisve. Carpella capsularia plu- 
rima in orbem disposita. DC. 
Specific Character and Synonym. 
Matva purpurata; herbacea pubescens, ascendens, foliis 
inferioribus 5—7-partitis superioribus 3-partitis, laci- 
niis pinnatifidis furcatisque segmentis oblongis, flori- 
bus axillaribus solitariis, pedunculis petiolo longio- 
fe involucro di- triphyllo foliolis linearibus deci- 
uis. 
Matva purpurata. Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1362. 
A handsome perennial, drawn from the greenhouse of the 
Glasgow Botanic Garden. It is a native of the Cumbre, a 
pass in the Andes of Chili, and was introduced to the garden 
of the Horticultural Society by Mr. Macraz. In England 
it is treated as a hardy plant; but requires a dry season to 
bring it to perfection. I have seen no native specimens: 
but it is unquestionably very nearly related to the Marva 
tenuifolia (Arn. et Hook. in Bot. Miseell. v. 3. p. 150), and 
I cannot but feel doubtful as to the propriety of referring 
these plants to Maxva rather than to Sipa. The two or 
three bracteas, for they are not constant in number, do not 
form a whorl so as to constitute a real involucre ; but sprin 
from different heights, and so quickly do they wither and — 
fall away that even in the state of the bud, the calyx is _ 
often destitute of them, The flowering season of our plant 
is June and July. a 
