MONADELPHIA— POLYANDRIA. Malva. 245 



In marshes, especially towards the sea, abundantly. 



Perennial. July — September. 



Root tap-shaped, rather woody. Herb of a hoary green, peculiarly 

 soft and downy, with fine starry pubescence. Stems several, 

 about a yard high, simple, round, leafy, tough and pliant. 

 Leaves ovate or heart-shaped at the base, various in breadth, 

 plaited, 5 -ribbed, unequally serrated, soft and pliable, more or 

 less deeply divided into 5 acute lobes. Fl. in very short, dense, 

 axillary panieles, rarely solitary, of a delicate uniform blush- 

 colour, not inelegant. Outer calyx, with 8, 9, 10 or 12 divi- 

 sions. 



The whole plant, especially the root, yields in decoction a plen- 

 tiful tasteless colourless mucilage, very salutary in cases of in- 

 ternal irritation. 



348. MALVA. Mallow. 



Linn. Gen. ZM. Juss.272. H.Br. 740. DeCand. Prodr. v. I. 430. 

 Tourn.t. 24. Lam. t. 582. Gcertn.t. 136. 



Nat. Ord. see n. 347. 



Cal. double, permanent; outer smallest, of 3 ovate acute 

 leaves ; i?iner of 1 leaf, divided half way down into 5 

 broader segments. Pet. 5, inversely heart-shaped, abrupt, 

 rather oblique, flat, their claws attached to the tube of 

 the stamens. Filam. numerous, capillary, united below 

 into a tube ; separate at the summit. Anth. kidney- 

 shaped. Germ, orbicular, depressed. Style cylindrical. 

 Stigmas numerous, about the same length, bristle-shaped. 

 Caps, as many as the stigmas, compressed, ranged in a 

 circle round the columnar receptacle, each of 2 valves 

 and 1 cell, finally deciduous. Seeds kidney-shaped, so- 

 litary ; rarely 2 or 3. 



Herbaceous or shrubby, downy or hairy. Leaves simple, 

 mostly plaited and lobed. Fl. purplish, or white; in 

 several exotic species yellow ; all axillary or terminal, 

 generally stalked and aggregate. Qualities mucilaginous. 

 Fibres of the bark tough. 



1. M.. sylvestris. Common Mallow. 



Stem upright, herbaceous. Leaves with seven acute lobes. 

 Footstalks and flower-stalks hairy. 



M. sylvestris. Linn. Sp. PL 969. Willd. v. 3. 787. Fl. Br. 740. 

 Engl. Bat. t;. 10. t. 671. Curt. Lond.fasc. 2. ^ 51. Woodv. t. 54. 

 Hook. Scot. 208. Ger. Em. 930. f. DeCand. Prodr. v. 1 . 432. 

 Cavan. Diss. 78. t. 26./. 2. Fl. Dan. 1. 1223. Bull. Fr. t. 225. 

 Ehrh. PL Off. 348. 



