Althjea. XXXVII. MALVACEAE. 207 



Tj. Native of Eng:land. A popular garden flower of the easiest culture, often 

 springing up spontancou.sl)'- in fiokis and roadsides, Mid. and W. States! 

 Height 3f. Flower.s reddish purple, with veins of a darker hue. The whole 

 plant, especially the root, abounds in mucilage. Jn. — Oct. ^ f 



3. M. HouGHTONii. Torr. & Gray. HoughUni's Malva. 



St. erect, hirsute; lv$. strigose, ovate, truncate at the base, lower ones 

 cordate, all undivided, coarsely crenate ; pankk terminal, diffuse, many-flow- 

 ered; pet. purple; carpels 10 — 15. — Prairies and bottoms. 111. Meorl l ike. A 

 handsome but rather rough species, 2 — 3f high. Root fusiform. Leaves 2 — 3' 

 by 1 — 2', on long, hairy petioles, thick. Flowers nearly as large (IJ' diam.) 

 as those of M. sylvestris. Jl. Aug. 



4. M. Mauritiana. Ivy-lcaced Mallow. — St. erect ; Ivs. 5-lobed, obtuse ; peti- 

 oles and pedicels smoothish, or downy on the upper side. — From S. Europe. 

 A tall species, 4 — &^ high. Stem smooth. Flowers purple, with deeper colored 

 veins, f 



5. M. MOSCHATA. Musk Malloir. — St. erect; radical Ivs. reniform, incised, 

 cauline ones many-parted, the .segments linear; ped. and cat. hairy. — Native ot 

 Britain. Stems 21 high, branched. Flowers large and handsome, rose-colored. 

 The whole herb gives out a musk-like odor in favorable weather. Jl. 



6. M. CRispA. Cwicd or Cri.<ipcd-l€aved Malloiv. — 5*^. erect ; ^rs. angular-lobed, 

 dentate, crisped, smooth ; Jls. axillary, sessile. — (I) A tall, straight, simple, erect 



f)lant from Syria. Gardens, almost naturalized. Stem 5 — 6f high. Leaves 

 arge, roundish, margins abundantly crisped and curled. Flowers white, not 

 conspicuous. Jn. — Aug. f 



2. GOSSYPIUM. 



A word said to be from the Arabic, goz, a silky substance. 



Calyx obtusely 5-toothed, surrounded by an involucel of 3 cordate 

 leaves, deeply and incisely toothed ] capsule 3 — 5-celled ; seeds in- 

 volved in cotton. — Fls. yellow. 



1. G. HERBACEUM. Conwioti CottoTi Plant. — Lis. 5-lobed, with a single gland 

 below, lobes mucronate ; cotton white. — (I) This is the species commonly culti- 

 vated in the Southern States. It is an herbaceous plant, about 5f high. The 

 flowers like those of all the other species are yellow. Leaves cut half way 

 down into 3 large and 2 small, lateral, romided, pointed lobes. Gland on the 

 midvein at its back, half an inch from the base. Jl. f 



2. G. Barbadense. Sea Island Cotton Plant. — Lis. 5-lobed with 3 glands 

 beneath, upper ones 3-lobed; seeds black; cotton v^hiiQ. — (^ Native and culti- 

 vated in the W. Indies. A larger plant than the foregoing. Sown in Sept. 

 and Oct. An acre yields an average product of 270 pounds of this cotton. — 

 These plants are ornamental in cultivation, f 



3. LAVATERA. 



Named in honor of the two Lavaters, physicians of Zurich. 



Calyx surrounded at base with a 3-cleft involucel; carpels 00, 1- 

 celled, 1 -seeded, indehiscent, arranged circularly. 



1. L. arborea. Tree Mallow. — Lvs. 7-anglcd, downy, plicate; pedicels axil- 

 lary, 1-flowered, clustered, much .shorter than the petiole. — @ A splendid plant 

 for borders or shrubberies, from Europe. Height about 6f. Flowers purple. 

 Sept. Oct. t 



2. L. Thuringiaca. Ga// 7l/^//<?»'.—Z/r.9. somewhat dowTiy ; lower ones angu- 

 lar, upper ones 3-lobed, the" middle lobe largest. — % From Germany. Height 

 4f. Flowers light blue. Sept. 



4. ALTHiEA. 



G-r. aX-Sco, to cure ; the mucilaginous root is highly esteemed in medicine. 



Calyx surrounded at base by a 6 — 9-cleft involucel : carpels 00, 1- 

 seeded, indehiscent. arrausred circularly around the axis. 



18* 



