156 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



combined into a column or tube united to the petals, 

 made up of the united anther-stalks. The anthers 

 are annular or twisted, one-celled, and each equals 

 half an anther. The pollen-grains are spiny. They 

 open outwards. The disc is small; the pistil is 

 syncarpous. There are several stigmas. The ovary 

 is multilocular, and the carpels are numerous, in 

 whorls, distinct or united. The fruit consists of 

 numerous, dry, indehiscent, or two-valved loculicidal 

 carpels, one- (or more) seeded. The seeds are some- 

 times woolly. 



The group includes the Cotton plant, and all the 

 Malvaceae are mucilaginous and yield textile fibres, 

 the bark in some, the cottony fruits in others. 

 Some, as Marsh-mallow, are used medicinally. A 

 large number are garden favourites. None of the 

 plants are poisonous. 



Dwarf Mallow {Malva rotnndifolia). 



A common wayside plant, often to be found on 

 grassy banks at the base of a wall in a village. Dwarf 

 Mallow is familiar to most of us. 



A well-marked character, the rounded leaves, is 

 indicated by rotnndifolia. The plant is also dwarf, 

 compared with the tall bushy Common Mallow, and 

 this character is well shown in the illustration. 

 Dwarf Mallow is found in all parts of the British 

 Isles and the Channel Islands. It is not so common 

 in Scotland and Ireland. 



Mallows generally are roadside plants, or viaticals, 



