82 MALVACEAE. Lavatera. 



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ORDER XX. MALVACE^. 



Herbs or shrubs, with mucilaginous juice, a tough fibrous inner bark, alternate 

 leaves with stipules, and often a stellate pubescence ; distinguished from all related 

 orders by the valvate calyx, convolute petals, their bases or short claws united with 

 each other and with the base of a column of numerous monadelphous stamens, these 

 with reniform one-celled anthers. Flowers almost always perfect, regular. Calyx 

 5-cleft or parted, persistent, in many genera augmented by an apparent accessory 

 calyx, i. e. a whorl of bractlets, forming an involucel. Petals 5, hypogynous, usually 

 withering or deliquescent without falling off. Pistil usually either a ring of ovaries 

 around a projection of the receptacle, from which they fall away singly at maturity, 

 or a 3- 10-celled ovary becoming a capsule in fruit : styles united at least at base 

 into one. Ovules single, several, or numerous in the carpels or cells, amphitropous 

 or nearly anatropous. Seeds commonly roundish or reniform, with little or no albu- 

 men, and a curved embryo ; its cotyledons broad and foliaceous, variously crumpled 

 or doubled up, mostly involving the radicle. Leaves most commonly palmately 

 ribbed. Peduncles axillary. Flowers in many large and showy. 



A rather large order, found in all parts of the world excepting the arctic regions, well repre- 

 sented in North America and in its western or central districts, but not conspicuous in California. 

 The demulcent properties are turned to account only in the mucilage of the root of Marsh Mallow 

 (Althaea offitinalis) ; but many are cultivated for ornament, and one, the Cotton-plant, for the 

 wool which invests its seeds. 



TRIBE I. MALVE^E. The column of stamens bearing anthers at the summit. Carpels 

 closely united into a ring around the axis and separating from it more or less at maturity. 



* Styles stigmatic on the inner side : carpels indehiscent : ovules solitary, ascending. 



1. Lavatera. Bractlets 3 to 6, united at base. Axis of the fruit dilated above and exceeding 



the few carpels. 



2. Malva. Bractlets 3, distinct. Axis broad, shorter than the numerous carpels. 



3. Sidalcea. Bractlets none. Filaments in a double series, those of the outer series united in 5 



clusters. Carpels fewer, covering the axis. 



* * Stigmas capitate : carpels mostly dehiscent at least at the apex. 



4. Malvastrum. Bractlets 1 to 3. Ovule solitary, ascending. 



5. Sphceralcea. Bractlets 1 to 3. Ovules 2, the lower ascending, the upper pendulous. 



6. Sida. Bractlets 1 or 2, or usually none. Ovules solitary, pendulous or horizontal. 



7. Abutilon. Bractlets none. Ovules 3 or more in each cell. 



TRIBE II. HIBISCE^E. Column of stamens naked at the summit and 5-toothed. Carpels 

 united into a few-celled capsule, dehiscing loculicidally. 



8. Hibiscus. Involucel of several distinct bractlets. Capsule mostly 5-celled, many-seeded. 



GOSSYPIITM HERBACETTM, Linn., the cultivated Cotton-plant, also belongs to this tribe, the 

 genus characterized by its three ample cordate usually incised bracts, a truncate or shortly 5-cleft 

 calyx, a 3 - 5-celled capsule, and long- woolly seeds. In Lower California and on Cerros Island 

 there has been found a native species, G. DAVIDSONII, Kellogg (Proc. Calif. Acad. v. 82), shrubby, 

 with small and usually entire cordate leaves, the flowers also comparatively small, an inch long, 

 yellow with purple base. 



1. LAVATERA, Linn. TREE MALLOW. 



Involucel 3 - 6-cleft. Stamineal column divided above into numerous filaments. 

 Styles filiform, stigmatic on the inner side. Fruit depressed ; the several carpels 

 separating from the prominent more or less dilated axis, indehiscent, 1 -seeded ; seed 

 ascending. Leaves angled or lobed ; flowers axillary or in terminal racemes ; our 

 species stout and shrubby. 



