Oedee 24.— MALVACE^. 265 



and dense tufts of wool ; pet. obovate ; stam. about 1 5. — %. A Very delicate plant, 

 with purple gtems and bright purple fls. IJ' diam. ' 



• P. Gilli^sii Hook, with short, cylindrical, blunt Ivs., somewhat flattened, 

 ascending, branched stems, and large, deep purple lis., is also popular in house 

 cultivation. These species are natives of S. America, f 



Order XXIII. MESEMBRYACE^. Ice-plants. 



Plants fleshy, of singular and various form, yet beautiful, with opposite, flesby 

 kaves. Fls. solitary, axillary and terminal, remarkable for their profusion, brilliant, 

 and of long duration. Sepals definite ; petals numerous, colored, in many rows. 

 Sia. indefinite, distinct, arising from the calyx (perigynous). Ova. inferior or nearlj- 

 superior, many-celled. Stigmas numerous. Gaps, many-colled, opening in a stel- 

 late manner at the apex, or one-celled. Sds. more commonly indefinite, attached to 

 the inner angle of the cells, or to a free central placentae. 



Genera 6, species 875, ctiefly natives of the arid, sandy plains of t'ni Capo of Good Hope. 

 The species are much cultivated for ornament. Lowisia rediviva of ' tioson, called Bpietlum, in 

 highly valued for its farinaceous, nutritive roots. 



MESEMBRYAHTHEMUM, L. (Gr. ixear]ixpp[a, mid-day, dvOor, 

 flowers expanding at mid-day.) Calyx S-cleft ; petals very numerous, 

 linear ; stamens oo, perigynous ; capsule inferior, fleshy, turbinate ; 

 seeds numerous, either axile or parietal. 



1 M. crystallimini L. Ice-plant. Biennial, procumbent ; Ivs. large, ovato, 

 acute, wavy, frosted, 3-veined beneath. — A popular house plant, from Greece. It 

 has a creeping stem. If or more in length, and with the leaves is covered over 

 with frost-like, warty protuberances, giving the plant a very singular aspect. 

 Fla. white, appearing all summer. \. 



2 M. grandifldrum L. Perennial, procumbent, spreading ; Ivs. petiolate, 

 opposite, cordate-ovate; cal. 4-cleft, 2-horned. — % An interesting plant in house 

 cultivation, from Cape Good Hope. The whole plant fleshy and succulent, like 

 others of its kind. Fls. pink-colored. Calyx thick, green, the horns opposite. 

 Caps, translucent, marked at summit with cruciform linos, f . 



Order XXIV. MALVACE^. Mallows. 



Serbs or shrubs with alternate, stipulate Ivs. and regular flowers, with S sepais 

 united at base, valvate in the bud, often subtended by an involucel ; 5 petals hypo- 

 gynous, convolute in the .bud, with the stanaens oo, monadelphous, hypogynous, 

 and 1-celled, reniform anthers. Pistils several, distinct or united, and stigmas vari- 

 ous. Fruit a several-celled capsule, or a collection of 1 -seeded indehiscent carpels. 

 Seeds with little or no albumen, and a curved embryo. (Pig. 252, 352.) 



Genera 40, species 1000, abundant in the tropics, frequent in the temperate zones, entirely 

 wanting in the frigid. Oottoji, one of the most important products of the vegetable kingdom, ja 

 tho coma of the seeds (§ CS5) of Gossypium. Many of the Malvaceffi are handsome floweripg 

 plants, and are often cultivated as such. 



Properties. — Generally abounding in mucilage, and destitute of any deletcrioiis qualities. 



GENERA. 

 § Calyx naked, i. e., having no involucel. (b) 

 g Calyx Involucelate. — Carpels (and styles) more than 5. (a) 

 —Carpels S to 5 only, — one-seeded, (c) 



— «— 00-seeded. (d) 



a Involucel of G to 9 bractlets. Carpels l-seeded ALTn.EA. 1 



a lovoluoel of 3 distinct braetlets. Carpels l-seeded , Malva. £ 



a, Involucel of 3 united braetlets. Carpels l-seeded Lavatkra. g 



a Involucel of 3 distinct braetlets. Carpels S-seeded Modiola. ■': 



