COMMON OR MARSH MAU.OW 



177 



As with Marsh Mallow, the flowers are proterandrous, the anthers 

 ripening first, large and conspicuous, and visitors are numerous. There 

 are honey-glands at the base of the stamens or petals not fully ])ro- 

 tected. In the centre of the young flower a grou|) of anthers surround 

 the still unripe stigmas folded together, arranged in a cone-like form. 

 The stigmas afterwards lengthen and project in the place of the 

 stamens, and branch outwards to avoid self-pollination. The anthers 

 after opening also droo[). 

 The honey is protected 

 above from rain by hairs, 

 which cause insects to wipe 

 the pollen off on the anthers 

 in \(iung flowers to apjil)' ii 

 to the stigma in older flowers. 



Before the stigmas are 

 ripe, the ends of the anther- 

 stalks curl outwards and 

 downwards, and this pre- 

 vents self-pollination. The 

 visitors are Hymenoptera, 

 Apid^e, Ichneumonidce; Di])- 

 tera, Strationiyida-, .Syr- 

 phidee; Lepido[)tera, Picris 

 rapce; Coleoptera, Hallica. 

 A bee, Chelistoma nigricoriu\ 

 is a pollen-seeker. 



The fruits are dispersed 

 by the plant's own agency. 

 The capsule is a typical 

 schizocarp, and consists of 

 numerous carpels which 

 break up when ripe, and are dispersec 

 seeds remaining" in the carpels. 



This is a sand-loving plant, and subsists on a sand soi 

 where it is barren and no other plants can compete with it. 



.\ fungus, Puccinia iiialvacearuni, infests it, as it does the Holly- 

 hock. The beetles, Trac/iys pvi^iiuca, Lixiis paraplccticiis. Apion 

 viahce, PodagTica piircicornis; a moth, ^Icontia solans, feed on it. 



The name sylvestris refers to its supposed woodland habitat. It is 

 called Bread -and -Cheese, Cheese-cake, Cheese Log, Cheese-flower, 

 Chock-cheese, Chucky-checse, Custard Cheeses, I^ock, Frog-cheese, 



Common ok JIarsh Mallow (Mulvu sylvfs/n's, L.) 



ardund 



tile plant, the smgie 

 and orows 



Vol. IV. 



58 



