MALVACE^. 43 



beautiful flowers. Sepals unequal, imbricate. Petals 



only lightly connected, if at all, at the base ; the inner 



larger- Stamens many. Ovary three to five-celled, with 



many pendent ovules ; style simple. Seeds without 



endosperm; embryo straight. 



Species about i6, mosily in India, Malaya, and south 

 China ; also in North America. 



Named in honotir of Gordon, a hortictilturist, 



Gordonia obtusa Wallich, Cat, 1459! ; F.BJ.i 291, 



XII 2. A moderate sized, evergreen tree, with rather 

 erect and not widely spreading branches, which end in 

 large silky buds. Leaves 2 to 4 inches elliptic, crenate, 

 acute at both ends, firm and smooth ; stalk ^ inch ; 

 midrib strong. Flowers lateral on the branches, solitary 

 in the leaf-axils, I to 2 inches diameter, very handsome, 

 white. Sepals silky on the back ; outer smaller. Petals 

 thin, and thinly silky. Stamens numerous, attached to 

 the petals. Ovary five-celled; style single ; fruit a five- 

 angled, woody capsule, I inch long, furrowed at the top, 

 and opening loculicidally so that the valves (carpels) 

 separate from the persistent axis, to which the ten 

 seeds are attached. Flowers May to December, t. 34. 

 Wight 111. t. 99. 



Fairly common, especially near water. 



Nilgiris : Ootacamund, in the swamp below Havelock road • 

 in sholas on the downs ; Pykara. Flowers May. Pulneys : on 

 the downs in sholas ; Silver cascade. Fyson 1788*, 11 04, 2714. 

 Bourne 116. 



Gen. Dist. Permade, Anamalais, Travancore and on the Bombay Ghats 

 to the north, but not elsewhere in India. 



MALVACE/E. 



. Mallow, Hollyhock, etc. 



This family is distinguished from all others chiefly by 

 the very numerous anthers being of one cell (two pollen 

 sacs) only instead of two, and attached by short stalks 



