MALVACEAE. Ill 



It includes about twelve hundred species, 1 of which six-tenths 

 belong to the Old World and the rest to the New. The number of 

 genera belonging to the latter is much less considerable than those 

 pertaining to the former; for America has only twenty-three 

 genera which belong to it exclusively, while the Old World has 

 forty-eight. Consequently seventeen genera are common to 

 both Worlds. To the Old World belong exclusively all the La- 

 siojjeta/ea, Dombeyeo?, Helicterea, except the genus Helicteres ; to 

 the New World the small series Chiranthode adrece . Except two or 

 three species, Lasiopetalece would even belong exclusively to Australia. 

 Bombacece, Helicterece, Buettneriece, and Dombeyece nearly all con- 

 sist of plants of the tropical regions. Hermanniece, Hibiscete, and 

 Urenece extend thence into the most temperate climates such as the 

 Cape of Good Hope, Mexico, extratropical Australia, and the north of 

 India and China. Malvece and Malopece, are composed of the plants 

 of the family found as far as the coolest regions of the globe, 

 whether it be to the north or south of America, to the south of 

 Australia in New Zealand (like Hoheria and Playianthiis), in Asia 

 and Central and Northern Europe. They are, however, abundant in 

 tropical regions since they form there, according to Humboldt, 

 a fifth part of the vegetation 2 of the valleys. The proportion de- 

 creases considerably in the temperate zone, since there is only one- 

 fourth as much as the preceding. 3 There is moreover here as in all 

 the great families, types the diffusion of which is extreme : as 

 Hibiscus which is found in all parts of the world, and which in 

 America for example, occupies an area of ninety degrees in latitude. 

 The Mallows are still more widely extended. On the contrary there 

 are genera strictly limited to a small portion the globe, some 

 tolerably numerous as to species like the series Zasiojietatete ; others 

 are monot}'pes or reduced to a very restricted number. The 

 small series of Chiranthodendrece, , represented hitherto by a single 

 genus with two sections and two species, only exists in a very re- 

 stricted part of the west of North America. Julostyles, Dicellostyles, 



1 In 1816, Lindlet (Veg. Kingd., 362, 361, 2 Lindley {Veg. Kingd., 369) thinks doubt- 



370), more than fifteen hundred were counted : less that Stercidiece are comprised in this valua- 



1000 for the Ualuacece proper ; 400 for Bitett- tion. 



nenacere ; and, 125 for Sterculiacece. 3 The other numbers cited in the work of 



