MALLOW FAMILY. 73 



A. cristata has mostly triangular or obscurely halberd-shaped and toothed 

 leaves, and purple or rose-colored corolla 2' in diameter ; lobes of the calyx 

 triangular, taper-pointed. 



9. SID A. (Ancient name, of obscure meaning-.) Mostly rather small-flow- 

 ered or weedy herbs, with 5-12 styles and carpels : fl. summer and autumn. 



* Peduncles axillary, \-flowered: corolla yellow. 



S. spinosa. So named from the little pointed projection or tubercle at the 

 base of the petiole, but which can hardly be called a spine ; stems much branched, 

 10' -20' high; leaves lance-ovate, serrate, minutely soft-downy; peduncles very 

 abort ; flower very small ; pod ovate, of 5 carpels, each splitting at top into 2 

 points. A common weed S. of New York. i 



S. rhombifblia. But the leaves arc hardly rhombic, usually lance-oblong, 

 short-petioled, serrate, pale and whitish downy beneath; stems l-3 high, 

 much branched; peduncles rather long; flower small; fruit of 10 or 12 one- 

 pointed carpels. A weed only 8. 



S. Elliottii. Nearly smooth, l-4 high; leaves linear or lanceolate, 

 serrate, short-petioled; flower 1' broad, on a short peduncle; fruit of 10-12 

 nearly blunt carpels. Woodlands S. 11 



* Peduncles bearing a corymb of several white flowers from the upper axils. 



S. Napsea. Smooth; stem simple, 4 -7high ; leaves rounded, 5-cleft, the 

 lobes toothed and taper-pointed ; corolla about 1' broad; styles and cells of the 

 pod 10. Wild in S. Pcnn. and Virg. Cult, in old gardens. 2/ 



10. ABUTILON, INDIAN MALLOW. (Origin of name obscure.) 

 Resembles Sida, but cells more than one-seeded ; flowers usually larger. 



A. Avicennse, VKLVKT-LKAF. Cult, soil and old gardens, 3 -5 high; 

 leaves roundish heart-shaped, taper-pointed, soft-velvety ; peduncles shorter than 

 petiole, 1 - 3-flowered ; corolla orange-yellow; fruit of 12-15 united hairy 

 carpels Avith spreading beaks. Fl. autumn. i 



A. Striatum, STHIIMCD AWTILON. Cult, in greenhouses, &c. from Bra- 

 zil ; a tall shrub, verv smooth, Avith rounded heart-shaped 3-lobed leaA'es, the 

 lobes very taper-pointed, and pretty large solitary flowers hanging on a very 

 long and slender peduncle ; corolla not spreading open, orange-colored, with 

 deeper or brownish A r cining or stripes. 



11. MODIOLA. (The shape of the depressed fruit likened to the Roman 

 measure modiolns.) Procumbent or spreading, small-floAvered, Aveedy plants. 

 M. multifida. Virginia and S., in IOAV grounds; leaA'es 3-7-cleftand 



cut, or the earlier ones rounded and undivided; flowers red, ' broad; fruit 

 hairv at the top. 11 



12. MALVAVISCUS. (Name composed of Malva, MalloAv, and viscus, 

 birdlime, from the glutinous pulp of the berry-like fruit.) Shrubby plants, 

 Avith showy scarlet flowers, of peculiar appearance, the petals not expanding, 

 but remaining convolute around the loAvcr part of the slender projecting and 

 soon tAvisted column, held together as it were by a little side-lobe near the 

 base of the inner edge. 



M. arb6reus, the common West India species, cult, in some hot-houses, 

 has heart-shaped leaves longer than broad, and yelloAvish fruit. 



M. Drummondii, of Texas, if housed in winter floAvers all summer in 

 open ground, is soft-downy, Avith more rounded and somcAvhat 3-lobed leaves, 

 and scarlet fruit. 



13. KOSTELETZSKYA. (Named for a Bohemian botanist, Kosteletzsky .) 

 Like Hibiscus, only the cells of ovary and fruit l-seeded. Fl. summer. 



K. Virginica, VIRGINIAN K. In and near salt marshes, from NCAV York 

 and New, Jersey S. : roughish-hairy, 2 -5 high; leaves heart-shaped or mostly 

 3-lobcd, often halberd-shaped; flowers somewhat racemed or panicled, rose- 

 purple, l'-2' broad. 11 



