based prickles 3 mm. long or less, the prickles apparently sometimes lacking; leaves 

 with petiole 2-6 cm. long, triangular-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, 

 8-1 1 cm. long, 3.5-5 cm. wide, acute to acuminate, subtruncate to shallowly cordate 

 at base, the margin crenate-serrate throughout, not at all or only obscurely greener 

 above than below; peduncles solitary in the upper axils, to 35 mm. long, jointed 

 almost to the base; bractlets about 12, narrowly linear or (in age) somewhat 

 involute-margined and linear-filiform, 12-15 mm. long, to 1.5 mm. wide, sometimes 

 sparsely hispid as well as densely velutinous, in age reflexed; calyx (in flower) about 

 28 mm. and at maturity about 32 mm. high, sometimes more or less hispid outside 

 (especially on the nerves), the broadly triangular acuminate teeth about equaling 

 the tube; corolla 8-9 cm. long, purplish-pink with dark-reddish basal blotch, the 

 petals with spreading tips; capsule subglobose, abruptly apiculate, densely spread- 

 ing-hispid outside with ochroleucous hairs and between them minutely hispidulous, 

 glabrous inside; seeds densely and shortly rufescent-velvety, 2.5 mm. long; styles 

 united to apex; stigmas oblong. 



In marshes and along canals in s.e. Tex., May-Oct.; also in temp and trop. Am. 



4. Hibiscus Moscheutos L. Sw^amp rose-mallow, mallow-rose. 



Plants erect, to about 25 dm. high, the stems minutely stellate-pubescent to 

 glabrescent; leaves with slender petioles to about 5 cm. long, ovate to elliptic- 

 lanceolate or lanceolate, canescent-pannose beneath with minute and close down, 

 less so to glabrate and green above, broadly cuneate to rounded or subcordate at 

 base, acuminate at apex, to about 22 cm. long and 9 cm. wide, the margins coarsely 

 incised-dentate, unlobed or with the middle and lower leaves tricuspidate; with one 

 to several peduncles usually fused for as much as three fourths their length to the 

 subtending petiole; bractlets and calyx canescent but not hairy; petals 5-10 cm. 

 long, light creamy-yellow or white with a crimson-purple base; style branches gla- 

 brous or remotely hispid; capsule conic-ovoid, tapering to an erect beak, glabrous, 

 2.5-3 cm. long. H. incanus Wendl. 



In marshes and low wet areas on edge of woods, in swamps and wet meadows in 

 e. Okla. and e. Tex., June-Oct.; from Fla. to Tex., n. to Md., Va., W.Va., O and Ind, 



5. Hibiscus lasiocarpos Cav. Woolly rose-mallow. Fig. 524. 



Plants erect, to about 2 m. high, the stems pubescent; leaves with petioles to 1 

 dm. long, broadly to narrowly ovate, cordate to subcordate at base, acute to acumi- 

 nate at apex, the margins crenately dentate, occasionally some leaves angulate or 

 somewhat 3-lobed, 1-2 dm. long, more or less velvety-tomentose on both sides with 

 the upper surface bearing many simple or subsimple hairs, the uppermost leaves 

 often ovate-lanceolate; bractlets more or less ciliate with villous or hirsute cover; 

 calyx lobes at maturity prominently 5- or 7-nerved; corolla white to cream-color or 

 pale rose-color with a crimson or deep-purplish-red blotch at base, the petals 

 7.5-10 cm. long; capsule short-cylindric, subtruncate, usually densely villous- 

 hirsute. 



In marshes, wet meadows, floodplains, ditches, on edge of lakes and along 

 streams and rivers in e. Okla. and from e. to n.w. Tex. and s.e. N.M., June-Sept.; 

 from Ga. to Tex., n. in the Miss, basin to Ky., Ind., 111. and Mo. 



6. Hibiscus leucophyllus Shiller. 



Roots perennial, succulent; stems to 8 dm. high, somewhat branched upwardly, 

 densely puberulous with minute many-branched sessile stellate hairs; leaves numer- 

 ous, with petioles to 4 cm. long, densely puberulous like the stems, narrowly ovate, 

 to 14 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, rounded or the larger leaves subcordate at base, 

 sharply long-acuminate at apex, coarsely and bluntly serrate except at very base 

 and at apex. 7-nerved at base, the nerves raised beneath and impressed above, light 

 olive-green above, paler and ashy beneath, densely stellate-pubescent on both sides, 



1121 



