MALVACEAE. (MALLOW FAMILY.) 45 



Order 17. MALA^ACE^. (Mallow Family.) 



Mucilaginous herbs or shrubs, with palmately veined alternate stip- 

 ulate leaves, and regular monadelphous flowers on jointed peduncles. 

 — Sepals 5, united at the base, valvate in the bud, persistent, often 

 with a calyx-like involucel. Petals 5, convolute in the bud. Stamens 

 numerous, united into a column which is continuous with the claws of 

 the petals: anthers 1-celled, opening transversely. Ovaries united 

 into a ring, or forming a several-celled capsule. Styles separate or 

 united. Seeds kidney-shaped. Albumen scarce or none. Embryo 

 large, curved, with leafy cotyledons. Pubescence commonly stellate. 

 Pollen grains hispid. 



Synopsis. 



Teibe I. MAIiVE^. — Carpels as many as the stigmas, 1 - few-seeded, disposed in a 

 circle around a central axis, separating at maturity from the axis and from each other. 

 Anthers borne at the apex of the column. 



* Carpels 1-seeded. 

 ■I- Stigmas occupying the inner face of the styles. 



1. MALVA. Carpels beakless. No process within. 



2. CALLIRRHOE. Carpels beaked, and bearing a dorsal process above the seed within. 



■I- -1- Stigmas capitate. 



3. MALVASTRUM. Involucel 2- 3-leaved. Ovule peritropous-ascending. Radicle inferior. 



4. SIDA. Involucel none. Ovule resupiuate-pendulous. Radicle superior. 



* * Carpels 2 - few-seeded. 



5. ABUTILON. Carpels 1-celled. Involucel none. 



6. MODIOL.i. Carpels transversely 2-ceUed. Involucel 3-leaved. 



Teibe II. UKENE^. — Carpels half as many as the stigmas, separating at maturity. 

 Anthers borne above the middle of the column. 



7. PAVONIA. Involucel 5 - 15-leaved. Flowers axillary or racemose. 



8. URENA. Involucel 5-cleft. Flowers racemose. Carpels hispid. 



9. MAL.\CHRA. Involucel none. Flowers capitate. 



Teibe III. HIBISCE.3E;. — Carpels as many as the stigmas, united and forming at ma- 

 turity a loculicidal capsule. Column bearing the anthers throughout, or from above 

 the middle. 



10. KOSTELrjTZKYA. Cells of the depressed capsule 1-seeded. 



11. HIBISCUS. Cells of the globose or oblong capsule few - many-seeded. 



12. THESPESIA. Capsule indehiscent. Involucel 3-leaved, entire. 



13. GOSSYPIUM. Capsule dehiscent. Involucel 3-)eaved, gashed. 



14. FUGOSIA. Capsule dehiscent. Involucel of 6 - 9 subulate leaves. 



1. MALVA, L. Mallow. 



Involucel .3-leaved, persistent. Petals obcordate. Styles 9-20, filiform, 

 stigmatic on the inner face. Carpels broadly reiiiform, beakless, 1-seeded, in- 

 dehiscent, disposed in a circle around the central axis, from which they sep- 

 arate at maturity. Embryo nearly annular. Eadicle inferior. — Herbs. 

 Leaves rounded. Flowers axillary, not yellow. 



1. M. rotundifolia, L. Stems several, prostrate ; leaves long-petioled, 

 round-cordate, crenate and crenately-lobed ; flowers single or clustered, white 

 veined with purple ; carpels even. — Around dwellings. Introduced. '21. 



