406 MALPIGHIACEAE 



Malpighiaceae (EP., BH.}. Dicots. (Archichl. Geraniales,). 55 gen., 

 650 sp., trop., esp. S. Am. Shrubs or small trees, usu. climbing, 

 forming a marked feature among the trop. lianes. Stem-anatomy 

 peculiar. L. usu. opp., entire, slip., frequently gland-dotted; pi. 

 usu. covered with peculiar branched unicellular hairs. Infl. race- 

 mose. Fl. , obliquely [ . K (5), imbr. , often with large glands 

 at the base of (outside) the sepals; C 5, petals usually clawed, imbr.; 

 A 5 + 5, obdiplost., often fewer, joined in a ring at the base; anthers 

 opening intr. by longitudinal splits; G (3), obliquely placed in the 

 fl., 3-loc. with axile plac. ; one ovule in each loc., pend., semi-anatr. , 

 with ventral raphe. Fr. typically a schizocarp breaking into 3 meri- 

 carps, but frequently one or more of the loc. abort. The mericarps 

 are often winged, in some cases, e.g. Banisteria, like those of Acer. 

 Seed exalbum. 



Classification and chief genera (after Niedenzu) : 



I. PYRAMIDO TORAE (torus pyramidal ; mericarps usually 



winged): Tetrapteris, Banisteria, Acridocarpus. 

 II. PLANITORAE (torus flat or concave; mericarps not 

 winged) : Malpighia, Bunchosia, Byrsonima. 



Malt, barley steeped to start germ., and then kiln-dried. 



Maltebrunia Kunth. Gramineae (6). 2 Madag., S. Afr. 



Malus Tourn. ex L. = Pyrus Tourn. p.p. (Ros.). 



Malva (Tourn.) L. (BH. excl. Callirhoe Nutt.). Malvaceae (2). 30 

 N. temp.; 3 in Brit. Fl. of the ordinary type of the fam., with 

 oocpls. Two Brit. sp. M. sylvestris L. and M. rotiindifolia L. (large 

 and small mallow) afford a contrast in floral mech., &c. Honey is 

 secreted in little pockets in the recept., covered with hairs which 

 exclude rain and very short-tongued insects. The large mallow is 

 very protandr.; the sta. stand up at first in the middle of the fl., and 

 afterwards bend outwards and downwards whilst the styles lengthen 

 and occupy the original positions of the sta. The small mallow has 

 much smaller fls., much less visited by insects; they go through 

 stages similar to those described above, but at the end of the 9 stage 

 the styles bend downwards, twist in among the anthers and pollinate 

 themselves. 



The 1. in autumn may usu. be seen covered with brown spots caused 

 by the fungus Pnccinia malvacearum (cf. Berberis). 



Malvaceae (EP.; B.H. incl. Bombacaceae). Dicots. (Archichl. Mai- 

 vales). 35 gen., 700 sp., trop. and temp. Herbs, shrubs, or trees, 

 with alt. stip. 1. Fls. sol. or in cpd. cymose infls. made up of cin- 

 cinni, $ , reg., usu. 5-merous. Epicalyx often present ; probably an 

 aggregation of bracteoles, but perhaps stipular like that of some 

 Rosaceae (q.v.). K 5 or (5), valvate; C 5 conv., the petals usu. 

 asymmetrical; A usu. oo , owing to branching of the inner whorl of 

 sta. (the outer is usu. absent), all united below into a tube which is 

 joined to the petals and at first sight makes the C appear gatno- 

 petalous; the anthers are monothecous (i.e. each = half an anther), 

 the pollen grains spiny. G (i oo ) frequently (5), multi-loc., wilh 

 axile placentae. In I a division of the cpls. by horiz. transv. walls 

 occurs, producing vertical rows of one-ovuled portions. Ovules 

 j oo i n each cpl. , anatr. , usually ascending, sometimes pend. Malva- 



