MALVACEAE. 



113 



flowers are softening, emollient, and mucilaginous, and their bark 

 furnishes more or less textile fibres. We shall see these characters 

 reproduced in different degrees in most of the plants of this vast 

 family. The first depends upon the facility with which the walls 

 of the cells in most of the organs swell, soften, and thicken into 

 mucilage under the influence of water, when they come in contact 

 with it, or upon the faculty they sometimes have of producing 

 " special cells which have their peculiar vegetation," 1 and which 

 represent the mucilaginous element. The Mallows have always been 

 employed as emollients ; with us especially the Great or Wild 3 

 Mallows (figs. 134-140), and the Little Mallow or M. with round 3 

 leaves. But a large number of the other species of this genus are 

 valued in all other countries for the same purposes. 4 It is the same 

 with the Marsh Mallow [Guimauves), particularly the officinal 5 M. M. 

 (fig. 141), whose root and leaves are employed as emollients, the 

 flowers as pectorals ; 6 and the Eose Mallow, 7 whose root, less white, 

 is also less used. 8 In warm countries Urena, Sida, and Spharalcea 



1 TreCUL, The mucilage of the Malvacece 

 (in Adansonia, vii. 284). 



2 Malva sylvestris L., Spec, 969. — DC. 

 Prodi:, i. 432, n. 32.— Mer. & Del., Diet. 

 Mat. Med., iv. 207. — Guib., Drog. Simpl., ed. 

 6, iii. 639.— A. Rich., Mem., ed. 4, ii. 542, 546. 

 — Lindl., Veg. Kingd., 369 ; Fl. Med., 142.— 

 Endl., FncMrid., 512. — Pereira, Elem. Mat. 

 Med., ed. 5,ii. p. ii. 55. — Payee, These Malvac, 

 33. — Rev., in Fl. Med. of the 19tb century, ii. 

 311.— Moq., Bot. Med.,\81, fig. 56.— Rosenth., 

 Syn. Fl. Diaphor., 706. — H. Ex. in Diet., 

 Fncyl. des So. Med., ser. 2, v. — Malva vulgaris 

 Ten. (vulg. M. verte, Fromageon, Beurrat, 

 Fouassier). 



3 M. rotundifolia L., Spec., 969. — DC, 

 Frodr., n. 34. — GtrrB., loc. cit., 610. — A. Rich., 

 loc. cit., 547 (vulg. M. ronde, Rerbe de Saint- 

 Simon). 



4 Especially M. nicaensis All., crispa L., 

 Alcea L., italica Poll., fasligiata Cav., mos- 

 chata L., in southern Europe; mauritiana L., in 

 N. Africa; verticillata L.,in China ; borealis L., in 

 the N. of Europe ; balsamica Jacq. and frag rans 

 Jacq. at the Cape, &c. Guibourt has stated 

 that at Paris M. glabra Desrouss., var. of 

 M. mauritiana is substituted for M. sylvestris 

 because of the appearance of the flowers which 

 become blue in drying. A great many virtues, 

 exaggerated or imaginary, have been . ascribed 

 to these plants. 



5 Althaa officinalis L., Spec, 966. — Cav., 

 Diss., ii. 93, t. 30, fig. 2.— DC, Frodr., i. 436, 



VOL. IV. 



n. 1. — Mer. & Del., Diet. Mat. Med., i. 202. 

 — Guib., op. cit., 638, fig. 742. — Pereira, loc. 

 cit., 555.— Lindl., Fl. Med., 143. — A. Rich., 

 Elem., ed. 4, ii. 513. — Pater, These Malvac, 

 35.— Moq., Bot. Med., 72, fig. 21.— Rev., in 

 Bot. Med., of the 19th century, ii. 125. — 

 Rosenth., op. cit., 705 (vulg. White Mallow). 



6 It forms part of the Syrup of Althaea of 

 Fernel. It is said to have entered formerly into 

 the preparation of the mallow paste, "pate de 

 Ghiimauve," 'and contains acrystallizable principle, 

 called altheine, but identical with asparagine. 



7 A. rosea Cav., Diss., ii. t. 29, fig. 3. — DC, 

 Frodr., i. 437, n. 11. — Alcea rosea L., Spec, 966 

 (Rose d' outre mer, Passe-rose, Tremier, Bourdon 

 de Saint- Jacques). The fiowers (Flores Malvce 

 arborece s. hortensis Off.) are used in dyeing 1 , 

 form a colour, an ink, and a blue lac (Rosenth., 

 op. cit., 706;— Ditch., Sep., 211). It is some- 

 times employed in adulterating several blue 

 flowers sold in the herbalist's shop. 



3 The properties of the preceding species are 

 found in other Allhaas which are also used as 

 emollients, especially A. cannabina L., clii- 

 nensis Cav., ficifolia Cav., taurinensis DC, nar- 

 bonensis Pourr., pallida Waldst., meonantlm 

 Lk., and several Lavateras, which we connect 

 as a section with the same genus, viz. : L. 

 arborea L. (Spec, 972 ; — Cav., Diss., ii. t. 139. 

 fig. 2.— DC, Prodr., i. 439), trimestris L. (Spec, 

 97 1 ; — DC. Prodr., n. 1 ; — Stegia Lavatera DC, 

 Fl. Fr., n. 4525), thuringiaca L. (Rosenth., op. 

 cit., 705). 



