THE MALLOW FAMILY 369 
sail to carry the fruit-cluster before the wind over smooth 
ground or a crust of snow. 
The family comprises mostly woody plants having mucilag- 
inous juices; and often fragrant flowers with petals imbricate 
and distinct; stamens numerous, pentadelphous, and free; anthers 
with two pollen-sacs; and styles coalesced throughout. 
116. The mallow family (Malvacez). Examples: cotton 
(Figs. 214-216, pages 225-227) and marshmallow (Fig. 158, 
page 166). 
See pages 410,411 for formulas of Gossypium, Althea, and 
Malvacee. 
Several new features are presented in this family. An 
involucel is commonly present close to the flower, recalling 
the epicalyx of strawberries, but here we have bractlets in 
place of stipules. The estivation of the corolla is such that 
one edge of each petal overlaps its neighbor, while the other 
edge is in turn overlapped by the next in order. Aéstivation 
of this type is termed convolute.t The androecium appears 
to consist of a number of stamens borne upon a long tube 
enclosing the styles. This tube shows at the top, more or 
less distinctly, five projections which give evidence that the 
andreecium consists really of but five stamens coalesced by 
their filaments to form the tube, and branched above into 
the numerous stalks bearing pollen-sacs. Curiously enough 
each branch bears only a single pollen-sac and is thus equiva- 
lent to but half of an ordinary anther. 
The expression FA o-5)] would read “stamens numerous, 
divided into five groups, monadelphous, and adhering to the petals.” 
As a result of this adhesion the petals, although distinct, fall off in 
connection with the stamen-tube (as the fruit ripens) much as if 
they were coalescent. 
The fruit of marshmallow (Althza) represents a type very 
common in the family. Although indehiscent, the basal 
part of the several carpels, as they ripen, separate into as 
many nutlets, each containing a single seed. The fruit thus 
returns to a condition very like that of a cluster of anemone 
1 Con’vo-lute < L. con, together; volvere, roll. P‘‘ is the sign. 
