62 ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 
Secrion III. 
Ovarium solitary ; Placenta central. (The Column in the Fruit to which the Seeds 
are attached central, and not adhering to the Side as in Section II.) 
Orver 1X. MALVA‘CEA. 
Orv. CHaR. Calyx with a valvate eestivation, mostly with an involucre. Sta- 
mens with the filaments monadelphous, and the anthers l-celled. Pudes- 
cence starry. (Lindl.)—Trees or shrubs, deciduous, natives of warm climates. 
Leaves simple, alternate, stipulate, deciduous ; more or less divided. 
Hairs stellate, axillary. Flowers on peduncles, large, showy.— The only 
genus containing hardy species is Hibiscus. The genus Lavatera contains 
some species which have an arborescent appearance, but which are in fact 
only suffrutescent biennials or triennials. 
Genus I. 
r 
HIBISCUS L. Tue Hisiscus. Lin. Syst. Monadélphia Polyandria. 
Identification. Lin. Gen., 846. ; Dec. Prod , 1. p. 446.; Don’s Mill., 1. p. 476. 
Synonymes. Ketmie, Fr.; Eibisch, Ger. ; Ibisco, Ital. 
Derivati The word hidiskos is one of the names given by the Greeks to the mallow. The Hibfscus 
of Pliny appears to be an umbelliferous plant ; while that of Virgil is a plant with pliant branches, 
which was made into baskets. The word Hibiscus is supposed by some to be derived from zbzs, a 
stork, which is said to feed on some of the species. Ketmie (Fr.) is derived from Kétmza, the name 
given to the genus by Tournefort. Eibisch is the German aboriginal word for the mallow. 
Gen. Char. Calyx encompassed by a many-leaved, rarely by a few-leaved, in- 
volucel, or one with its leaves connate. Petals not auricled. Stigmas 5. 
Carpels joined into a 5-celled 5-valved capsule, with a dissepiment in the 
middle of each valve on the inside. Cedls many-seeded, rarely 1-seeded. 
Leaves simple, alternate, stipulate, deciduous; variously lobed and 
toothed, generally ovate-wedge-shaped. Flowers pedunculate, large, showy. 
— The only hardy ligneous species is H. syriacus. 
% 1. H. syritacus LZ. The Syrian Hibiscus, or Althea Fruter. 
Identification. Lin. Sp., 978. ; Dec, Prod., 1. p. 448. ; Don’s Mill, 1. 478. 
Synonymes. Ketmie des Jardins, F7.; Syrischer Eibisch, Ger. 
Derivation. It is called Althza from the resemblance of its flowers to those 
of the Althz‘a rdsea. 
Engravings. Cav. Diss., 3. t.69. f.1.; Bot. Mag., t. 83. ; and our jig. 95. 
Spec. Char., &c. Stem unarmed, arboreous, Leaves 
ovate, wedge-shaped, 3-lobed, toothed. Pedicels hardly 
longer than the leaves. Involucel 6—7-leaved. (Don’s 
Mill.) A deciduous shrub. Syria and Carniola. Height 
6 ft. Introduced in 1596. Flowers large, single or 
double, white, red, purple, or variegated ; August and 
September. Capsule greenish brown ; ripe in October. 
Decaying leaves yellowish green. Naked wood white 
One of our most ornamental hardy shrubs, of which 95 Hibiscus syriacus. 
there are the following varieties : — 
H. s. 2 foliis variegdtis.— Leaves variegated. 
s. 3 flore variegdto.— Flowers variegated. 
H. s. 4 lore purpureo.—Flowers purple. 
H. s. 5 fldre purpireo pléno.—Flowers double, purple. 
8. 6 flore ribro.— Flowers red. 
H 
- &. 7 flore dlbo.—Flowers white. 
. 8. 8 flore dlbo pléno.— Flowers double, white. 
