Althjea. XXXVJI. MALVACEAE. 507 



1\. Native of England. A popular garden flower of the easiest culture, often 

 springing up spontaneously in fields and roadsides, Mid. and W. States ! 

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

 plant, especially the root, abounds in mucilage. Jn. — Oct. § •)• 



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



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

 cordate, all undivided, coarsely crenate ; f ankle terminal, difluse, many-flow- 

 ered; pet. purple; carpels lO — 15. — Prairies and bottoms. 111. Mead! &c. 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 Malloic. — S'i. erect; Zi;5. 5-lobed, obtuse ; peft'- 

 oles and pedicels smoothishj or downy on the upper side. — (X) From S. Europe. 

 A tall species, 4 — 6f high. Stem smooth. Flowers purple, with deeper colored 

 veins, f 



5. M. MoscHATA. Musk Mallow. — St. erect; radical Ivs. reniform, incised. 

 cauli)i€ ones many-parted, the segments linear; ped. and cal. hairy. — Native of 

 Britain. Stems 2f high, branched. Flowers large and handsome, rose-colored. 

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



6. M. CRisPA. Curled or Crisped-lcavcd Mallow.— St. erect ; Ivs. angular-lobed, 

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

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

 large, 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. yelloio. 



1. G. HERBACEUM. Common Cotton Plant. — Iws. 5-lobed, with a single gland 

 below, lobes mucronate ; cott^)n white.—® 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 

 do\vn into 3 large and 2 small, lateral, rounded, pointed lobes. Gland on the 

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



2. G. Barbadexse. Sea Islmtd Cotton Plant.— Lvs. 5-lobed with 3 glands 

 beneath, upper ones .3-lobed ; seeds black; cotton white.— @ 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. 



Xamed in honor of the two Lavaterg, physicians of Zurich. 



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

 celled, 1 -seeded, indehiscent, arranged circularly. 



1 L arborea. 7VceMa//o?r.—Lrs. 7-angled, downy, plicate; ;?C(f!<;e& axil- 

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

 for borders or shrubberies, from Europe. Height about 61. Flowers purple. 

 Sept. Oct. t 



2. L. Thuringiaca. Gay Malhno.—Lvs.s.om&whz.iAovmy; lower onesangu- 

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

 4f. Flowers light blue. Sept. 



4. ALTHiEA. 

 Gr. aX5w, to cure ; the mucilaginous root is highly esteemed in medicine. 



Calyx surrounded at base by a 6— 0-cleft involucel ; carpels 00, 1- 

 eeeded, indehiscent. arranged circularly around the axis. 

 18* 



