293 



MANUAL OF BOTANY 



Cohort 6. — Malvales. 

 Urdcf 82. Malvaceae, the Mallow Order. — Character. — 

 Herbs, shrubs, or trees. Leaves alternate, often downy, more or 

 less divided in a palmate manner, stipulate. Floioers regular, 

 usually axillary, and often surrounded by an involucre or 

 epicalyx. Sepals usually 5, rarely 3 or 4, more or less united ; 

 with valvate or some form of circular aestivation. Petals 



Fig. 1066. 



Fig.' 1068. 



Fig. 1069. 



Fiij. 1U66. Dia^nam of tlie flower of a species of Malva. The bliree external 



iiiies represent bracts, which togetlier form an epicalyx or involncrc. 



Fig. 1067. Vertical sectiou of the flower of a Mallow. Fir/. 1068. Pistil of 



the same surrounded by the inferior calyx and involucre. Fig. 1069. 



Horizontal section of the fruit of Malva sylvestris. a. Axis. pi. Placenta, 

 I. An empty cell. c. Embryo with twisted cotyledons. 



hypogynous, equal in number to the divisions of the calyx, with 

 a twisted aestivation, either attached to the column formed by 

 the united stamens or free. Stamens hypogynous, numerous, 

 monadelphous ; anthers 1- celled, reniform, with transverse 

 dehiscence. Ovary superior, consisting of several carpels, 

 which are either apocarpous, or united so as to form a compound 

 ' ovary with as many cells as there are carpels ; x>lacentas 



