772 MALVACEAE 



angular, acute, or somewhat acuminate, about as long as the tube : corolla about 2.5 cm. 

 broad : fruit 6-7 mm. broad : carpels 2-ridged above, not pointed, glabrous. 

 In sandy soil, Georgia to Louisiana. Spring to fall. 



17. Sida Texana (T. & G. ) Small. Perennial, pubescent with fine ashen hairs. 

 Stems erect, 3-9 dm. tall, branched : leaf-blades broadly linear to linear-oblong, 2-7 cm. 

 long, serrate -dentate ; petioles 3-6 mm. long : peduncles and pedicels about as long as 

 the subtending bracts : calyx angled ; lobes triangular-acute, longer than the tube : corolla 

 yellow, 2.5-4 cm. wide: carpels 9-12, about 3 mm. long, more or less puberulent on the 

 back, cuspidate, the sides and back coarsely rugose-reticulated. [S. Elliottii var. Texana 

 T. & G., S. Lindheimeri Engelm. & Gray.] 



In dry soil, Louisiana to Texas and Mexico. Spring to fall. 



18. Sida longipes A. Gray. Perennial, scabro-puberulent. Stems erect, 2-4 dm. 

 tall, simple, or branching above : leaf-blades linear or narrowly-linear, 2-8 cm. long, ob- 

 tuse or acutish, serrulate or serrulate-crenulate, delicately rugose, truncate or subcordate 

 at the base ; petioles 3-10 mm. long : peduncles elongated, 8-20 cm. long, erect or nearly 

 so, slender but not filiform : calyx ribbed ; lobes triangular, acuminate, about as long as 

 the tube : corolla orange, 3-4 cm. wide : carpels nearly 3 mm. long, glabrous, slightly 

 pitted, minutely beaked. 



In dry soil, Texas. Spring to fall. 



19. Sida filipes A. Gray. Perennial, velvety tomentose. Stems erect, 5-9 dm. tall, 

 paniculately branched : leaf-blades narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 2-7 cm. long, acutish 

 or obtuse, serrate or crenate-serrate, rugose ; petioles 1-3 mm. long : peduncles filiform, 

 surpassing the leaves : flowers nodding : calyx subglobose in the bud, not angled ; lobes 

 ovate, about 2 mm. long, obtuse : corolla violet-purple, about 1 cm. wide : carpels about 

 7, 2.5 mm. long, pale, pitted, obtusely beaked. 



In dry soil, Texas and Mexico. Summer. 



9. MALACHRA L. 



Herbs or shrubby plants, with hispid or rigid -pubescent foliage, the hairs sometimes 

 stinging. Leaves alternate : blades with angled or rounded lobes, petioled. Flowers per- 

 fect, in dense axillary or terminal head-like clusters. Involucres of 3-5 bracts, often 

 variegated or sometimes wanting. Sepals 5, partially united : lobes 3-nerved. Petals 

 white, yellow or red. Carpels 5, 1 -celled. Ovules solitary. Mature carpels 5, separating 

 from the central axis, indehiscent or valvate at the ventral angle. Seeds reniform, ascend- 

 ing. The plants flower throughout the year. 



Foliage densely stellate-pubescent in addition to hirsute or hispid : upper leaf-blades not lobed at the 

 base. 1. M. capitata. 



Foliage merely hirsute or hispid : upper leaf-blades lobed at the base. 2. M. urens. 



1. Malachra capitata L. Hispid, and minutely and densely pubescent with stellate 

 hairs. Leaf-blades suborbicular, to ovate-orbicular, 1.5-4 cm. in diameter, crenate, or the 

 lower ones sometimes palmately 3-5-lobed ; petioles shorter than the blades : flower-clusters 

 peduncled : bracts of involucres variegated with white and purple, rather conspicuous, the 

 outer suborbicular, the inner broadly ovate, acute : calyx -lobes ovate-lanceolate, obtuse : 

 petals yellow : carpels 3 mm. long, nearly glabrous, slightly shorter than the calyx-lobes. , 



In dry soil, Texas and Mexico. Also in tropical America. 



2. Malachra urens Poit. Hispid, usually without fine stellate hairs. Leaf-blades 

 ovate or lanceolate, angulately 3-5-lobed or somewhat hastate with rounded basal lobes, 

 3-10 cm. long, dentate, truncate or rarely cordate at the base ; petioles shorter than the 

 blades : flower-clusters nearly sessile or short -peduncled : bracts of the involucres triangular 

 or hastate, long-acuminate, ciliate-dentate, the base or often the whole surface variegated with 

 purple: calyx-lobes subulate- ti pped : petals red: carpels 3-3.5 mm. long, puberulent or 

 glabrate, much surpassed by the calyx-lobes. 



In sand, Keys of Florida. Also in the West Indies. 



10. URENA L. 



Shrubs or shrubby herbs, with rigid branches and pubescent foliage. Leaves alternate : 

 blades angled or lobed. Flowers perfect, often inconspicuous, sessile or short-peduncled, 

 in the axils of the leaves, sometimes clustered. Involucres wanting. Involucels of 5 more 

 or less united bractlets. Sepals 5, united below, often adnate to the involucel. Petals 5, 

 yellowish or purplish. Carpels 1-celled. Stigmas capitate. Ovules solitary, ascending. 

 Mature carpels separating from the central axis, indehiscent, bristly with barbed awns, thus 

 forming a bur-like fruit, or sometimes unarmed. 



