THE MALLOW FAMILY. 109 



A. 



Stems erect and stiff, two to three feet high ; petals three or four times as long 



as the calyx; Uowers conspicuous. 

 1. Flowers rose-coloured, crowded at the summits of the branches;) Musk 



stem leaves deeply divided into linear and pinnatifid lobes J Mallow. 



2. Flowers purple, streaked with violet, in axillary clusters ; stem- ) Violet 



leaves with short broad lobes, not reaching to the middle | Mallow. 



B. 



3. Stems weak and reclining ; Howers insignificant, in axillary clusters; ) Dwaef 



petals pale-blueish, not more than twice as long as the calyx. . . . j Mallow. 



HABITATS AND LOCALITIES. 



1. Musk Mallow — [Malva moschdta.) 



Hedgebanks, but very thinly scattered. Roadside by Cotterill 



Clough, fine and plentiful ; Rostherne ; Prestwich ; Pendlebury ; 



Tyldesley ; and plentiful at the edge of Botany Bay Wood. (J. E.) 



Fl. July, August. 



Curtis, ii. 270; E. B. xi. 754 ; Baxter, i. 25. 

 The petals are of a singularly delicate texture, and when dried, are a mere film. 

 A white variety is common in gardens, and occasionally appears in the wild state. 



2. Violet Mallow — [Mdlva sylvestris.) 

 Plentiful in Chaddock Lane, and at Shakerley, both near Tyldesley, 

 and at Tyldesley Fold, Atherton. (J. Fi. ; G. H.) Occasionally seen, 

 poor and ill-developed, in dry places about Bowdon, and once found 

 in Didsbury churchyard. Fl. July, August. 



Curtis, i. 124 ; E. B. x. 071 (coloured too red). 



3. Dwaef Mallow— (A/^i/ra rotundijblia.) 

 Occasionally found in lanes at Bowdon, and at Tyldesley. (J. E.) 

 Fl. June— September. 



Curtis, i. 188; E. B. xvi. 1092. 



The tall and stately spires of the hollyhock {Althaa rosea), with flowers like 

 roses, yellow, white, claret-colour or pink, the calyx double, and covered with soft 

 hairs, give an exceedingly good idea of the noble character of the exotic mal- 

 vaceous plants. Their beauty is further illustrated in the green-house genera 

 Hibiscus, Achdnia, and Ahutilon, one species of which latter, the A. striatum, is 

 tolerably common, bearing abundance of pendulous oval bells, on peduncles three 

 inches long, the petals deep yellow, and laced with vermilion. Several pretty 

 Mdlvas are also frequent in flower gardens and conservatories. 



