MALVACEAE. 227 



celled, entire or lobed; styles united below, distinct 

 above, mostly as many as the cells of the ovary; ovules 

 1 or several In each cell. Fruit capsular, rarely a berry, 

 several-celled; the carpels falling away entire or else 

 locullcldally dehiscent. Embryo curved; cotyledons 

 large, plicate or condupllcate; endosperm scanty or 

 copious. 



Carpels 2-several-seeded. 1. Modiola. 



Carpels 1-seeded. 



Stigmas linear, on the inner side of the style 

 branches. 

 Stamens monadelphous. _ 2. Malva. 



Stamens united in phalanges in 2 series. 3. Sidalcea. 

 Stigmas capitate or truncate. 



Flowers rose-purple or rarely white. 4. Malvastrum. 



Flowers cream-colored. 6. Sida. 



1. MODIOLA Moench. 



Prostrate or ascending herbs often rooting from the 

 nodes, with palmately cleft or divided leaves, and small 

 axillary peduncled flowers. Bracts of the involucre 3, 

 distinct. Calyx 5-cleft. Cells of the ovary many, with 

 2-3 ovules In each. Style branches stigmatic at the 

 summit. Carpels 15-20, septate between the seeds, 

 dehiscent into 2 valves, with awn-pointed tips, and aris- 

 tate on the back. 



1. M. carolinlana (L.) Don. Decumbent, annual or biennial, 

 more or less pubescent, freely branching; stems 15-45 cm. long; 

 leaves nearly orbicular in outline, 1-6 cm. wide, petioled, pedately 

 3-5-cleft, rarely simply dentate or incised; flowers axillary, 6-10 

 mm. broad, red; peduncles at length elongated, slender; fruit de- 

 pressed-orbicular, the carpels hispid-aristate along the back. 



In rather low moist places. El Monte; Santa Anita. 



2. MALVA L. Mallow. 



Pubescent or glabrate herbs with dentate lobed or dis- 

 sected leaves, and axillary or terminal solitary or clus- 

 tered flowers. Calyx 5-cleft. Bractlets of the involucre 

 3, rarely none. Petals 5. Ovary many-celled; cells 

 1-ovuled; style branches of the same number, linear, 

 stigmatic along the inner side. Carpels arranged In a 

 circle, beakless, indehlscent, 1-seeded. 



