MALVACE^ 507 



more or less united, the lobes valvate or rarely imbricate. 

 There are five petals, slightly united at the base, convolute 

 in the bud, and often contorted. The stamens are character- 

 istic features of the family. They are numerous, and united 

 to form a long tube enclosing the styles; the staminal tube 

 is united with the bases of the petals (Fig. 212). There are 

 five more or less distinct projections at the top of the tube 

 of stamens; this seems to indicate that there are in reahty 

 but five stamens, united by their filaments, and branched 

 above into numerous stalks bearing pollen sacs. This is 

 further evidenced by the fact that each stalk bears a single 

 pollen sac, a structure equivalent to one-half of a typical 

 anther. The stamen tube may be anther-bearing at the 

 summit, as in Malva, Abutilon, etc., or anther-bearing below 

 the summit, as in Hibiscus and Gossypium. The ovary is 

 several-celled. Usually, there are as many styles as cells 

 of the ovary; the styles are united below, and distinct above, 

 and generally project beyond the stamen column. 



Fruit and Seeds. — The fruit is a several-celled capsule 

 (rarely a berry). The seeds are kidney-shaped, globose or 

 obovoid, and have large cotyledons and either little or 

 abundant endosperm. 



Geographical. — Members of the family are widely distributed in tropical 

 and temperate regions. There are about 40 genera and 800 species. 



Economic Importance. — The mallow family possesses one 

 of our most valuable economic plants — cotton (Gossypium). 

 Cotton is the chief fiber plant of the world. It is grown 

 throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Another crop 

 plant is okra or gumbo {Hibiscus esculentus). Althcea 

 officinalis is the marsh mallow, the roots of which are used 

 principally for mucilage and for medicinal purposes. Orna- 

 mental representatives are hollyhock (Althcea rosea), mallow 



