LAVATEKA SYLVESTRIS. 



Lavatera Sylvestris is an herbaceous plant, stems ascending, 

 lower leaves reniform, cordate, with five to seven lobes, which 

 are blunt and serrate, attaining the dimensions of four inches in 

 length, and three in breadth, stem leaves smaller, on shorter 

 petioles, often truncate at the base, with three to four acute 

 lobes, unequally dentate, and pubescent on both sides. The 

 flowers, which are smaller than those of Malva sylvestris, are 

 rose- coloured, streaked with violet, and arise from the axils of 

 the leaves on peduncles of unequal length, and in clusters of 

 from four to six. The five lobed hairy calyx is longer than the 

 three lobed epicalyx, the segments of which are ovate ; petals 

 bifid ; carpels smooth and pubescent, about f of an inch in 

 diameter, rounded at the back, and partly covered by the 

 calyx segments. Besides the generic differences it may be dis- 

 tinguished from Malva sylvestris, which it much resembles, in 

 its being Annual or Biennial, paler green, and with stellate 

 hairs, the stipules, too, are more acute, and the flowers smaller. 



Lavatera sylvestris was first observed by Mr. Curnew, of Pen- 

 zance, at St. Mary, one of the Scilly Islands, in the year 1873 ; 

 three years after that date it was found growing abundantly in 

 St. Agnes and Tresco Island, at a considerable distance inland ; 

 a few plants were met with on the Cornish coast about the same 

 period. In the autumn of 1883 I found it growing in the 

 neighbourhood of "VVareham, since then it has distributed itself 

 considerably. Several plants of it were growing in two adjoin- 

 ing fields last September. 



Lavatera selvestris was first fully described in 1827 in Bro- 

 tero's Phytographia Lusitanica (vol. ii., p. 225), where it is 

 figured. A full description will also be found in Lowe's Manual 

 of the Flora of Madeira. It is a common plant throughout Por- 

 tugal, is abundant in Madeira, it grows in Spain, the South- 

 West of France, the Azores, and Magador. 



I am indebted to James Britten, Esq., F.L.S., editor of the 

 Journal of Botany, for kindly permitting me the use of the 

 accompanying plate. 



