Malvacew—A lthea. 81 
beautiful, has been quite superseded in gardens by the many 
splendid double-flowered varieties, ranging in colour from 
white, yellow, rose, and purple to violet and almost black, 
with every intermediate shade and tint of these colours. 
There are many other species of inferior merit, but they are 
seldom seen in cultivation, except in botanical collections. 
5. LAVATERA. 
Shrubs, occasionally arborescent, or herbs, with angled or lobed 
leaves and axillary and solitary or clustered or terminal and race- 
mose flowers. Very near Mdlva, but differing in having the three 
to six lobes of the involucel coherent about half-way up. Car- 
pels in a flattened whorl, indehiscent. About eighteen species, 
whereof one is Australian, two are from the Canaries, and the 
others from the Mediterranean countries. Named in honour 
of the brothers Lavater, Swiss physicians. 
1. L. arborea. Tree Mallow.— 
A tall biennial species, softly 
pubescent all over. Leaves large, 
on long petioles, 5- to 9-lobed, cre- 
nate. Flowers purple, on short 
crowded axillary peduncles, about 
2 inches across. This has a stout 
stem throwing off numerous lateral 
branches, and forms a very hand- 
some small tree. Inrich soil in the 
South of England it often attains a 
height of 12 or 15 feet. It is occa- 
sionally met with on our coasts, but 
is generally considered to be an 
introduced plant. 
2. L. triméstris (fig. 53).— A 
common annual species, about 3 feet 
high, with rosy pink or white solitary 
axillary flowers with a dark centre. 
A pretty plant where it has plenty of 
‘ Fig. 53. L imestris. 
space, flowering freely for a longer cea 
period than many annuals. Spain. 
6. MALVA. 
Hairy or glabrous herbs with angular or lobed leaves and 
axillary flowers. Involucel of 3 distinct free bracts. Carpels 
a 
