270 Order 24.— MALVACE^. 



3 H. MoscheCltos L. Marsh Hibiscus. Simple, erect, hoary-tomenlous ; Ivx 

 ovate, obtusely dentate, some of them 3-lobed, nearly smooth above ; ped. long, 

 axillary, or confluent with the petiole; caps, smooth; sep. abruptly pointed. — % 

 A tall, showy plant, in brackish marshes by the sea, or near salt springs, and on 

 wet prairies, U. S. and Can. St. round, downy, 4 to 6f high. Lvs. 4 to 6' by 3 

 to 4', often with 2 lateral lobes. Fls. larger than those of the hollyhock, rose- 

 colored, purple in the center. Ped. usually distinct from the petiole, often some 

 of them united with it, and jointed above the middle. Sty. 1' longer than the 

 stamens. Aug. 

 /?. FLAVEBCENS. Fls. larger ; pot. (4' long) of a light sulphur yellow, with a 

 purple base. Marshes, Ind. (H. incanus WendL) 

 .4 H. grandifldrua Mx. Hoary-tomentous ; lvs. cordate, acuminate, repand-den- 

 tate, the lower often 3-lobed, hoary beneath, coriaceous ; cor. half-expanding ; 

 Sep. gradually pointed; caps, densely clothed with woolly hairs. — "Lake shores, 

 N. Orleans" (Hale), to Ga^ Stems branched above, 5 to If high. Fls. corynjbed, 

 terminal; petals 4 J' long, flesh-colored, rod st base, column declined, rather 

 shorter than the petals. Jl. — Oct. 



5 H. militaris Car. Glabrous ; lvs. hasiately 3-lobed, lobes acuminate, serrate ; 

 cor. tubular-campanulate ; caps, smooth, ovoid-aouminato. — Mid. and W. States. 

 St. 3 to 4f high. Lvs. cordate at base, 4 to 5' long, rendered somewhat hastate 

 by a divaricate lobe each side at base. Petals flesh-color, with a purplish basa, 

 2 to 3' long. Ped. with the joint above the middle. Jl., Aug. 



6 H. cocoineus Wait. Tery smooth; lvs. palmate, 5-parted, lobes lanceolate, 

 acuminate, remotely serrate above ; cor. expanding ; caps, smooth, ovoid. — % A 

 splendid flower, native of damp soils, in Ga., etc., and is raised from seeds in gar- 

 dens, northward. Rt. perennial. St. herbaceous, 5 to 9f high. Segm. of lvs. 6' 

 long, very acuminate. Pis. of a bright carmine red. Petals slender at the base, 

 4 to 5' long. Column stiU longer, slender and terete. Jl. — Oct. f. (H. specio- 

 sus Ait.) 



7 H. Carolinianua Muhl. Herbaceous, glabrous; lvs. cordate, ovate, acumi- 

 nate, some of them obscurely 3-lobed; ped. distinct from the petiole ; petals pubes- 

 cent inside ; caps, hairy inside ; sds. hispid. — "Wilmington IsL Ga. (Elliott.) A 

 rare species, apparently lost to modern botanists. Petals purple, 4' long. Caps, 

 globular. 



8 H. Syriaous L. Tree Hibiscus. Arboreous; lvs. ovate, cuneiform at 

 base, 3-lobed, dentate; peduncle scarcely longer than the petiole; involucel 

 about S-leaved. — A beautiful, hardy, free-flowering shrub or small tree, 8 to 15f 

 high. Pis. purple, large. There are varieties with white, rod, and striped fls., 

 both single and double, f Syria. 



12. ABELMOSCHUS, Medik. Okra. (Arabic Ab-el-mosch, grain or 

 seed of musk; the seeds smell of musk.) Calyx large, spathaceous, 

 i.. e., splitting to the base on one side ; involucel, column and fruit as in 

 Hibiscus. 



1 A. Manihot Medik. Not prickly ; lvs. palmatdy divided into 5 to 1 linear, 

 acuminate, coarsely dentate lobes ; ped. and involucel hispid ; bracts of the involu- 

 cel 5 to 7, ovate or lanceolate, acutiah, persistent, entire ; cal. split on one side ; 

 caps, densely hirsute, acuminate. — %■ Western States. A beautiful herb, 4 to 61' 

 high. Lvs. cordate, lobes 6 to JO' long, -J to 1^ wide, separated to near the base, 

 about as long as the petioles. Teeth largest near the summit. The fls. are of an 

 exceedingly rich sulphur yellow, purple in the center. Petals 3 to 4' long. JL, 

 Aug. (Hibiscus, L.) 



2 A. esoul6ntus Medik. Okra. Lvs. cordate, 5-lobed, obtuse, dentate ; petiole 

 longer than the (lower ; involucel about 5-leaved, caducous. — Kative of "W. Indies. 

 Plant herbaceous, 2 to 3f high, nearly glabrous. Petiole with a hairy line on the 

 upper side, nearly If in length. Lamina 8 to 10' broad. Fls. 1 to 2' long, on a 

 short peduncle. Petals greenish yellow. The large, mucilaginous pods are used 

 for pickles, or served up with but1;er. (Hibiscus, L.) 



