PINE WILD FLOWERS 
flowers, and measures from four to seven inches broad. 
The five large, rounded, wedge-shaped petals are a 
pure, rosy pink in colour, sometimes entirely white, 
and often marked with a rich, crimson blotch at the 
base. They are strongly ribbed. The long, slender 
pistil splits into five flat-headed tips, and for most of 
its length, it is enclosed with a tube bearing many 
pale yellow stamens. The five-parted calyx is sup- 
ported with a row of ten narrow bractlets. The 
flowers are clustered on short stems at the top of the 
stout, leafy, cane-like stalks, several of which spring 
from a perennial root, and rise from four to seven feet 
in height. The large, oval leaves taper sharply to a 
slender point, and are rounded at the base. Often 
they have a short pointed lobe on either side. The 
margins are indented with small, rounded teeth. The 
surface is smooth above and the colour is full green. 
The underside is covered with a soft, whitish down, and 
the ribs show prominently. 
The Marsh Mallow, Althaea officinalis, is a much 
smaller and altogether different species, which has 
been introduced from Europe and has become natural- 
ized in salt marshes along the coast from Massa- 
chusetts to New Jersey and locally westward to Michi- 
gan and Arkansas. In Europe it is raised for its 
thick roots, from which is obtained a mucilage used 
in making the white marshmallow candy sold at every 
confectionery store, and also as an important ingredient 
in preparing cough syrups. It is interesting to note 
that another relative is the common okra, a familiar 
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