270 ORDER 24. MALVACEAE. 



3 H. Moschetttos L. MARSH HIBISCUS. Simple, erect, hoary -tomentous ; Iva. 

 ovate, obtusely dentate, some of them 3-lobed, nearly smooth above ; ped. long, 

 axillary, or confluent with the petiole; caps, smooth; sep. abruptly pointed. 1J. 

 A tall, showy plant, in brackish marshes by the sea, or near salt springs, and on 

 wet prairies, U. S. and Can. St. round, downy, 4 to 6f high. Lvs. 4 to 6' by 3 

 to 4', often with 2 lateral lobes. Fls. larger than those of the hollyhock, rose- 

 colored, purple in the center. Ped. usually distinct from the petiole, often some 

 of them united with it, and jointed above the middle. Sty. 1' longer than the 

 stamens. Aug. 



/?. FLAVESCENS. Fls. larger; pet. (4' long) of a light sulphur yellow, with a 

 purple base. Marshes, Ind. (H. incanus WendL) 



4 H. grandiflorus MX. Hoary-tomentous ; Ivs. cordate, acuminate, repand-den- 

 tatf, the lower often 3-lobed, hoary beneath, coriaceous; cor. half- expanding; 

 sep. gradually pointed; caps, densely clothed witli woolly hairs " Lake shores, 

 N. Orleans" (Hale), to Ga. Stems branched above, 5 to 7f high. Fls. coryrnbed, 

 terminal ; petals 4|' long, flesh-colored, red at base, column declined, rather 

 shorter than the petals. JL Oct. 



5 H. militaris Car. Glabrous ; Ivs. hastately 3-lobed, lobes acuminate, serrate ; 

 cor. tubular-campanulate ; caps, smooth, ovoid-acuminate. Mid. and W. States. 

 St. 3 to 4f high. Lvs. cordate at base, 4 to 5' long, rendered somewhat hastate 

 by a divaricate lobe each side at base. Petals flesh-color, with a purplish base, 

 2 to 3' long. Ped. with the joint above the middle. JL, Aug. 



6 H. coccineus Walt. Very smooth ; Ivs. palmate, 5-parted, lobes lanceolate, 

 acuminate, remotely serrate above ; cor. expanding ; caps, smooth, ovoid. 1\. A 

 splendid flower, native of damp soils, in Ga., etc., and is raised from seeds in gar- 

 dens, northward. Rt. perennial. St. herbaceous, 5 to 9f high. Segrn. of Ivs. 6' 

 long, very acuminate. Fls. of a bright carmine red. Petals slender v at the base, 

 4 to 5' long. Column still longer, slender and terete. Jl. Oct. f. (H. specie- 



8U3 Ait.) 



7 H. Carolinianus Muhl. Herbaceous, glabrous; Ivs. cordate, ovate, acumi- 

 nate, some of them obscurely 3-lobed; ped. distinct from the petiole ; petals pubes- 

 cent inside ; caps, hairy inside ; sds. hispid. Wilmington Isl. Ga. (Elliott.) A 

 rare species, apparently lost to modern botanists. Petals purple, 4' long. Caps, 

 globular. 



& H. Syriacus L. TREE HIBISCUS. Arboreous; Ivs. ovate, cuneiform at 

 base, 3-lobed, dentate; peduncle scarcely longer than the petiole; involucel 

 about 8-leaved. A beautiful, hardy, free-flowering shrub or small tree, 8 to 15f 

 high. Fls. purple, large. There are varieties with white, red, and striped fls., 

 both single and double, f Syria. 



12. ABELMOSCHUS, Medik. Okra. (Arabic Ab-cl-mosch, grain or 

 seed of musk ; the seeds smell of musk.) Calyx large, spathaceous, 

 i. e., splitting to the base on one side ; involucel, column and fruit as in 

 Hibiscus. 



1 A. Manihot Medik. Not prickly ; Ivs. palmately divided into 5 to 7 linear, 

 acuminate, coarsely dentate lobes ; ped. and involucel hispid ; bracts of the involu- 

 cel 5 to 7, ovate or lanceolate, acutish, persistent, entire ; cal. split on one side ; 

 caps, densely hirsute, acuminate. U Western States. A beautiful herb, 4 to 5f 

 high. Lvs. cordate, lobes 6 to 10' long, to \\' wide, separated to near the base, 

 about as long as the petioles. Teeth largest near the summit. The fls. are of an 

 exceedingly rich sulphur yellow, purple in the center. Petals 3 to 4' long. JL, 

 Aug. (Hibiscus, L.) 



2 A. escu!6ntus Medik. OKRA. Lvs. cordate, 5-lobed, obtuse, dentate ; petiole 

 longer than the flower ; involucel about 5-leaved, caducous. Native of W. Indies. 

 Plant herbaceous, 2 to 3f high, nearly glabrous. Petiole with a hairy line on the 

 upper side, nearly If in length. Lamina 8 to 10' broad. Fls. 1 to 2' long, on a 

 short peduncle. Petals greenish yellow. The large, mucilaginous pods arc used 

 for pickles, or served up with butter. (Hibiscus, L.) 



