1794 A TEXTBOOK OF THEORETICAL BOTANY 



been lost, though in Hibiscus it is represented by live staminodes. The 

 anthers dehisce transversely. The pollen grains are large and echinulate. 



The gynoecium is polycarpellary and usually syncarpous, being made 

 up of five or more carpels. The styles are united but the stigmas are free. 

 The ovary is superior and multilocular. The ovules vary from one to many 

 in each loculus. Placentation is axile. 



The fruit is usually a schizocarp which splits into a large number of 

 mericarps, the number being equal to the number of carpels. In Hibiscus 

 and Gossypiiim, the fruit is a capsule which dehisces loculicidally. 



The seed is buried in a hairy covering formed from the testa. Endosperm 

 is scanty and the embryo possesses large, much-folded cotyledons. 



The family contains some thirty-five genera with about 700 species. 

 Though some genera occur as far north as Russia and Sweden, the number 

 of species increases towards the tropics. In the south, species of Plagianthus 

 are found as far as New Zealand. In the Andes certain species reach a 

 considerable altitude, assuming a dwarf alpine habit. 



The chief anatomical characteristics of the family are the wedge-shaped 

 masses of phloem which are divisible into hard and soft bast resembling 

 the condition in Tilia. Secondly the presence of stellate epidermal hairs 

 and finally the mucilage-containing organs which may be either epidermal 

 cells or lysigenously formed cavities. In many genera the leaves are 

 bifacial. 



The classification within the family is simple: 



I. Malopeoideae 



The carpels are arranged in vertical rows, as a result of division by 

 horizontal transverse walls. 



I. Malopeae. The only tribe. Included here are the genera: Malope, 

 Kitaibelia. 



II. Malvoideae 



The carpels are arranged in a single plane. 



1. Malveae. There are as many styles as carpels, and the fruit is a 



schizocarp. Abiitilon, Lavatera, Althaea, Malva, Anoda, Sidalcea, 

 Malvastriim , Plagianthus. 



2. Ureneae. There are twice as many styles as carpels and the fruit is a 



schizocarp. Urena, Goethea, Pavonia. 



3. Hibisceae. The fruit is a capsule. Hibiscus, Gossypium. 



The Malopeae are the less important group. Malope is a Mediterranean 

 genus, with three species, which is characterized by the three large leaves of 

 the epicalyx. Kitaibelia is monotypic and is found in the Lower Danube 

 area. Both genera are cultivated as ornamental flowers. In the Malveae 

 are most of the common herbaceous genera, of which Malta (Fig. 1688), 

 Althaea and Lavatera occur wild in Britain. Abutilon is shrubby and rather 

 tender but several species are cultivated in the milder parts of the country. 

 There are about 100 species, found chiefly in the tropics and subtropics. 



