270 Order 24.— MALVACEAE. 



3 H. Moscheutos L. Marsh Hibiscus. Simple, erect, hoary-tomentous ; lvs. 

 ovate, obtusely dentate, some of them 3-lobed, nearly smooth above ; ped. long 

 axillary, or confluent with the petiole; caps, smooth; sep. abruptly pointed. — % 

 A tall, showy plant, in brackish marshes by the sea, or near salt springs, and on 

 wet prairies, U. S. and Can. St. round, downy, 4 to 6f high. Lvs. 4 to 6' by 3 

 to 4', often with 2 lateral lobes. Fls. larger than those of the hollyhock, rose- 

 colored, purple in the center. Ped. usually distinct from the petiole, often some 

 of them united with it, and jointed above the middle. Sty. 1' longer than the 

 stamens. Aug. 



/?. flavescens. Fls. larger; pet. (4' long) of. a light sulphur yellow, with a 

 purple base. Marshes, Ind. (H. incanu3 Wendl.) 



4 H. grandiflorus Mx. Hoary-tomentous; lvs. cordate, acuminate, repand-den- 

 tate, the lower often 3-lobed, hoary beneath, coriaceous; cor. half- expanding; 

 sep. gradually pointed; caps, densely clothed with woolly hairs.—" Lake shores, 

 N. Orleans" (Hale), to Ga. Stems branched above, 5 to 7f high. Fls. corymbed, 

 terminal; petals 4,V long, flesh-colored, red at base, column declined, rather 

 shorter than the petals. Jl. — Oct. 



5 H. militaris Car. Glabrous ; lvs. hastately 3-lobed, lobes acuminate, serrate ; 

 cor. tubular-campanulate ; caps, smooth, ovoid-acuminate. — Mid. and W. States. 

 St. 3 to 4f high. Lvs. cordate at base, 4 to 5' long, rendered somewhat hastate 

 by a divaricate lobe each side at base. Petal3 flesh-color, with a purplish base, 

 2 to 3' long. Ped. with the joint above the middle. JL, Aug. 



6 H. coccineus Walt. Very smooth ; lvs. palmate, b-parted, lobes lanceolate, 

 acuminate, remotely serrate above; cor. expanding; caps, smooth, ovoid.— ■% A 

 splendid flower, native of damp soils, in Ga., etc., and is raised from seeds in gar- 

 dens, northward. Rt. perennial. St. herbaceous, 5 to 9f high. Segm. of lvs. 6' 

 long,' very acuminate. Fls'. of a bright carmine red. Petals slender at the base, 

 4 toV long. Column still longer, slender and terete. Jl. — Oct. f. (H. specic- 

 sus Ait.) 



7 H. Carolinianus Muhl. Herbaceous, glabrous ; lvs. cordate, ovate, acumi- 

 nate, some of them obscurely 3-lobed; ped. distinct from the petiole ; petals pubes- 

 cent' inside; caps, hairy inside; sds. hispid. — Wilmington Isl. Ga. (Elliott.) A 

 rare species, apparently lost to modern botanists. Petals purple, 4' long. Caps, 

 globular. 



8 H. Syriacus L. Tree Hibiscus. Arboreous; lvs. ovate, cuneiform at 

 base, 3-lobed, dentate; peduncle scarcely longer than the petiole; involucel 

 about 8-leaved.— A beautiful, hardy, free-flowering shrub or small tree, 8 to 15f 

 high. Fls. purple, large. There are varieties with white, red, and striped fl3., 

 both single and double, f Syria. 



i2. ABELMOSCHUS, Medik. Okra. (Arabic Ab-el-mosch, grain or 

 seed of musk ; the seeds smell of musk.) Calyx large, spathaceous, 

 i. e., splitting to the base on one side ; involucel, column and fruit as in 

 Hibiscus. 



1 A. Manihot Medik. Not prickly; lvs. palmately divided into 5 to 1 linear, 

 acuminate, coarsely dentate lobes ; ped. and involucel hispid ; bracts of the involu- 

 cel 5 to 1, ovate or lanceolate, acutish, persistent, entire ; cal. split on one side ; 

 caps, densely hirsute, acuminate. — % Western States. A beautiful herb, 4 to 5f 

 high. Lvs. cordate, lobes 6 to 10' long, \ to \\' wide, separated to near the base, 

 about as long as the petioles. Teeth largest near the summit. The fls. are of an 

 exceedingly °rich sulphur yellow, purple in the center. Petals 3 to 4' long. JL, 

 Aug. (Hibiscus, L.) 



2 A. esculentus Medik. Okra. Lvs. cordate, 5-lobed, obtuse, dentate ; petiole 

 longer than the flower; involucel about 5-leaved, caducous.— Native of W. Indies. 

 Phnt herbaceous 2 to 3f high, nearly glabrous. Petiole with a hairy line on the 

 upper side, nearlv If in length. Lamina 8 to 10' broad. Fls. 1 to 2' long, on a 

 short peduncle. ' Petals greenish yellow. The large, mucilaginous pods are use4 

 for pickles, or served up with butter. (Hibiscus, L.) 



