MALVACEÆ. 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,”! and which 
represent the mucilaginous element. The Mallows have always been 
employed as emollients; with us especially the Great or Wild? 
Mallows (figs. 134-140), and the Little Mallow or M. with round’ 
leaves. Buta large number of the other species of this genus are 
valued in all other countries for the same purposes.‘ It is the same 
with the Marsh Mallow (Gzimauves), particularly the officinal’ M. M. 
(fig. 141), whose root and leaves are employed as emollients, the 
flowers as pectorals ; and the Rose Mallow,’ whose root, less white, 
is also less used.’ 
In warm countries Urena, Sida, and Spheralcea 
2 

1 TrfctL, The mucilage of the MMalvacee 
(in Adansonia, vii, 284). 
2 Malva sylvestris L., Spec., 969.—DC. 
Prodr., i. 432, n. 32.—Mfr. & Det., Dict. 
Mat. Méd., iv. 207.—Gut1B., Drog. Simpl., ed. 
6, iii. 639,—A. Ricx., Hlém., éd. 4, ii. 542, 546. 
—Linpt., Veg. Kingd., 369; Fl, Med., 142.— 
ENDL., Enchirid., 512.—PEREIRA, Elem. Mat. 
Med., ed. 5, ii. p. ii. 55.—Paver, These Malvac., 
33.—Rév., in #7. Med. of the 19th century, ii, 
311.—Mog., Bot. Med.,181, fig. 56.—ROSENTH., 
Syn. Pl. Diaphor., 706.—H. By. in Dict,, 
Encyl. des Sc. Méd., sér. 2, v.— Malva vulgaris 
Ten. (vulg. JZ. verte, Fromageon, Beurrat, 
Æouassier). 
# M. rotundifolia L., Spec., 969.—DC., 
Prodr., n. 34.—Gurs. loc. cit., 640.—A, Ricu., 
loc. ecit., 547 (vulg. M. ronde, Herbe de Saint- 
Simon). 
4 Especially M. nicæensis ALL. crispa L., 
Alcea 1.., italica Porx., fastigiata Cav., mos- 
chata L., in southern Europe; mauritiana L., in 
N. Africa; verticillata L.,in China; borealis L., in 
the N. of Europe ; ba/samica Jacg. and fragrans 
Jaca. at the Cape, &e. GurzourtT has stated 
that at Paris WZ. glabra DeEsnowvss., var. of 
M. mauritiana is substituted for IM. 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 Althea officinalis L., Spec., 966. — Cav., 
Diss., ii, 93, t. 30, fig. 2.—DC., Prodr., i. 436, 
VOL. IV. 
n, 1.—Mer. & Det., Dict. Mat. Méd., i. 202. 
—GUIB., op. cit., 638, fig. 742.— PEREIRA, loc. 
eit., 555.—Linvu., Fl. Med., 143.—A. Rrcx. 
Elém., éd. 4, ii. 513.— Payer, Thdse Malvac., 
35.—Moq., Bot, Méd., 72, fig. 21.—Rfyv., in 
Bot. Med., of the 19th century, ii, 125.— 
RosEntHu., op. cit., 705 (vulg. White Mallow), 
5 It forms part of the Syrup of Althea of 
Fernel. It is said to have entered formerly into 
the preparation of the mallow paste, “pdte de 
Guimauve,” and contains acrystallizable principle, 
called altheine, but identical with asparagine. 
7 A. rosea Cav., Diss., ii. t. 29, fig. 3.—DC., 
Prodr., i. 437, n. 11.—Aleea rosea L., Spec., 966 
(Rose d'outre-mer, Passe-rose, Tremier, Bourdon 
de Saint-Jacques). The flowers (Flores Malve 
arboreæ s. hortensis Off.) are used in dyeing, 
form a colour, an ink, anda blue lac (RosENTH., 
op. cil., 706;—Dvcn., Rep., 211). It is some- 
times employed in adulterating several blue 
flowers sold in the herbalist’s shop. 
8 The properties of the preceding species are 
found in other Al‘heas which are also used as 
emollients, especially A. cannabina W., chi- 
nensis CAV., ficifolia Cay., taurinensis DC., nar- 
bonensis PouRR., pallida WaxLpsv., meonantha 
Lx., and several Lavateras, which we connect 
as a section with the same genus, viz.: Z. 
arborea li. (Spec., 972 ;—Cav., Diss., ii. t. 139. 
fig. 2—DC., Prodr., i. 439), trimestris L. (Spec., 
974;—DC. Prodr., n. 1 ;—Stegia Lavatera DC., 
Fl. Fr., n. 4525), thuringiaca L. (ROSENTH,, op. 
cit., 705). 

I 
