Genus 5. 



MALLOW FAMILY. 



519 



5. MALVASTRUM A. Gray, Mem. Am. Acad. (II.) 4: 21. 1848. 

 Herbs, with entire cordate or divided leaves, and axillary or terminal, solitary or race- 

 ■nose, sliort-pedicelled perfect flowers. Calyx S-cle£t. Bractlets of the involucels small, 1-3 

 or none. Stamen-column anther-bearing at the apex. Cavities of the ovary 5-=<>, i-ovuled. 

 Style-branches of the same number, stigmatic at the summit only, forming capitate stigmas ; 

 carpels indehiscent or imperfectly 2-valved, falling away from the axis at maturity, their 

 apices pointed or beaked. Seed ascending. [Greek, star-mallow.] 



About 75 species, natives of America and South Africa, 2 of them widely distributed as weeds 

 in tropical regions. In addition to the following, about 15 other species inhabit the southern and 

 western United States. Type species: Malvastrum coccineum (Pursh) A. Gray. 



Leaves lanceolate-oblong, dentate. i. M. angustum. 



Leaves pedately 5-parted, the lobes incised. 2. M. coccineum. 



I. Malvastrum angustum A. Gray. Yellow 

 False Mallow. Fig. 2858. 



Sida hispida Pursh, Fh Am. Sept. 452. 1814? 

 Malvastrum angustum A. Gray, Mem. Am. Acad. (II.) 4: 



22. 1848. 

 Malveopsis hispida Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 72. 1891. 



Annual, erect with the habit of a Sida, slender, 

 branching, pubescent with appressed hairs, 6'-i2' 

 high. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, or linear-oblong, 

 petioled, acute, finely dentate with somewhat distant 

 teeth, 9"-io" long, 2"-4" wide; flowers yellow, 

 4"-6" broad, mostly solitary in the axils of the 

 upper leaves, short-peduncled; bractlets of the invo- 

 lucels 2-3, linear, shorter than the ovate-triangular 

 pubescent acute calyx-lobes ; petals about equalling 

 the calyx; carpels S, somewhat pubescent, reniform, 

 2-valved at maturity. 



In dry ground, Tennessee and Illinois to Iowa, Mis- 

 souri and Kansas. Summer. 



2. Malvastrum coccineum (Pursh) A. Gray. 

 Red False Mallow. Fig. 2859. 



Malva coccinea Nutt. in Eraser's Cat. Name only. 181 3. 



Cristaria coccinea Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 454. 1814. 



M. coccineum A. Gray, Mem. Am. Acad. (II.) 4: 21. 1848. 



Perennial, erect or ascending, 4-10' high, freely 

 branched, densely and silvery stellate-pubescent. Lower 

 leaves 1-2' wide, ovate-orbicular in outline, slender- 

 petioled, the uppermost nearly sessile, all pedately 3-5- 

 parted; lobes cuneate to linear, incised, mainly obtuse; 

 flowers red, 6"-g" broad, in dense short terminal spicate 

 racemes; bractlets of the involucels commonly none; 

 petals much longer than the lanceolate acutish calyx- 

 lobes; carpels 10-15, rugose-reticulated, indehiscent, 

 i-seeded (rarely 2-seeded). 



Prairies and plains, Iowa to North Dakota, Manitoba. 

 Nebraska, Texas, British Columbia and New Mexico. Prai- 

 rie-mallow. Moss-rose. May-Aug. 



6. SIDA L. Sp. PI. 683. 1753. 

 Herbs, with serrate, crenate or lobed leaves, and solitary or clustered, axillary or ter- 

 minal, perfect flowers. Bractlets of the involucels none. Calyx S-toothed or s-cleft. Stamen- 

 column anther-bearing at the summit. Cells of the ovary 5-=o, i-ovuled; style-branches of 

 the same number, stigmatic at the summit only. Carpels indehiscent, or at length 2-valved 

 at the apex. Seed pendulous. [Greek, used by Theophrastus.] 



