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Althaea Flexuosa. Seringapatam 

 Hollyhock. 



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C/j/jr ^wi Order, 



MONADELPHIA PoLYANDRrA. 



Generic Character. 



Cat. duplex : exterior 6- feu 9-fidus. Capful* plurimae, mo- 

 nofpermae. 



Alcea Linn. 



Specific Ckaraiier and Synonyms. 



ALTHAEA flexuofa / caule fubflexuofo hifpido, floribus 

 axillaribus folitariis, petiolis folio feptem-lobo 

 longioribus. 



The Hollyhocks in Linn^eus's fyftem formed a genus of 

 themfelves under the name of Alcea ; but the number of feg- 

 ments in the calyx not being very conftant, this character has 

 been thought too flight; and the genus has been fuffered to 

 immergein Althaea; an alteration adopted both by Schreber 

 in his Genera Plantarum and Willdenow in his new edition 

 of the Species Plantarum. In plants fo fubject. to vary it is 

 not very eafy to diftinguifh real fpecies from mere varieties, 

 and whether this will continue to preferve its characters, after 

 a few years cultivation, is at prefent dubious. The dwarf 

 Chinefe Hollyhock, a few years fince held in high eftimation, 

 is now hardly to be found in its genuine date. 



The flowers of all that have hitherto been raifed, proved 

 fingle; the ftem is about two feet high, fomewhat zig-zag from 

 leaf to leaf, befet with rigid patent hairs, the petioles long and 

 hairy, the leaves three, five, and feven-lobed, crenate, villous ; 

 peduncles folitary, ere£t, one-flowered ; inner calyx frequently 

 fix-cleft as well as the outer ; capfules hifpid. For this plant 

 We are indebted to Mr. Whitley, of Old-Brompton, who 



raifed 



