270 ORDER 24. MALVACEAE. 



3 H. Moschefttos L. MARSH HIBISCUS. Simple, erect", hoary-tomentous ; fea 

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

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

 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. 



p. FLAYESCEXS. Fls. larger; pet. (4' long) of a light sulphur yellow, with a 

 purple base. Marshes, Ind. (II. incanus Wendl.) 



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

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

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

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

 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. co.ccineus Walt. Very smooth ; Ivs. palmate, 5-parted, lobes lanceolate, 

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

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

 dens, northward. lit. perennial. St. herbaceous, 5 to Of high. Segm. of Ivs. 6' 

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

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

 sus Ait.) 



7 H. Caroliniamis 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. 



8 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-el-mosch, grain or 

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

 ?'. <?., 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. 1\- Western States. A beautiful herb, 4 to 5f 

 high. Lvs. cordate, lobes 6 to 10' long, J 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. esculentus Medik. OKRA. Lvs. cordate, 5-lobed, obtuse, dentate ; petiole 

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

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

 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 are used 

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



