MONADELPHIA— POLYANDRIA. Malva. 245 



In marshes^ especially towards the sea^ abundantly. 



Perennial. July — September. 



Root tap-shaped, rather woody. Herb of a hoary green, peculiarly 

 soft and downy, with fine starry pubescence. Stems several, 

 about a yard high, simple, round, leafy, tough and pliant. 

 Leaves ovate or heart-shaped at the base, various in breadth, 



■ plaited, 5 -ribbed, unequally serrated, soft and pliable, more or 

 less deeply divided into 5 acute lobes. FL in very short, dense, 

 axillary panicles, rarely solitary, of a delicate uniform blush- 

 colour, not inelegant. Outer calyx, with 8, 9, 10 or 12 divi- 

 sions. 



The whole plant, especially the root, yields in decoction a plen- 

 tiful tasteless colourless mucilage, very salutaiy in cases of in- 

 ternal irritation. 



348. MALVA. Mallow. 



Lm«.Ge«. 354. J?m. 272. R Br. 740. DeCand.Prodr. vAA'dO. 

 Tourn. t. 24. Lam. t. 582. Gcertn. t. 13G. 



Nat. Orel, see ii. 347. 



Cal. double, permanent; outer smallest, of 3 ovate acute 

 leaves ; iimer of 1 leaf, divided half way down into 5 

 broader segments. Pet. 5, inversely heart-shaped, abrupt, 

 rather oblique, fiat, their claws attached to the tube of 

 the stamens. Filam. numerous, capillary, united below 

 into a tube ; separate at the summit. Aiith. kidney- 

 shaped. Germ, orbicular, depressed. Sti/Ie cylindrical. 

 Stigmas numerous, about the same length, bristle-shaped. 

 Caps, as many as the stigmas, compressed, ranged in a 

 circle round the columnar receptacle, each of 2 valves 

 and 1 cell, finally deciduous. Seeds kidney-shaped, so- 

 litary ; rarely 2 or 3. 



Herbaceous or shrubby, downy or hairy. Leaves simple, 

 mostly plaited and lobed. Fl. purplish, or white ; in 

 several exotic species yellow; all axillary or terminal, 

 generally stalked and aggregate. Quahties mucilaginous. 

 Fibres of the bark tough. 



1. M. sf//vcslris. Common Mallow. 



Stem upright, herbaceous. Leaves with seven acute lobes. 

 Footstalks and flower-stalks hairy. 



M. sylvestrie. Linn. Sp. PI. 969. IViWl v. 3. 7^7. Fl. Br. 740. 

 Fnfrl. But. V. \ 0. /. 07 1 . Curt. Lonil.fasc. 2. t. 5 1 . U'oodv. t. 54. 

 Hook. Scot. 2()H. (irr. Em. 930./. JhCaud. Prodr. v. 1 . 432. 

 Cavan. Diss. 7H. t. 20./. 2. Fl. Dan. t. 1 223. Bull. Fr. t. 225. 

 /:/.r/j. /7.0//:34H. 



