MALLOW FAMILY. Malvaceae. 
A handsome shrub, from five to ten 
False Mall , . 
M os sn ba feet high, woody below, with long, slender, 
Thirberi wandlike branches and thick, very downy,” 
Pink light bluish-green leaves. The pretty lilac- 
Spring, summer 
Pat reer pink flowers are from one to nearly two 
inches across and pleasantly scented, and 
the foliage is soft and pretty in appearance, though rather 
harsh to the touch, its pale tones blending harmoniously 
with the delicate blossoms. This is common in southern 
California. 
There are several kinds of Lavatera, mostly from the Old 
World. 
So i This was planted in the mission gardens 
Piaaets by the Fathers and is now common around 
assurgentiflora San Francisco. It is a branching shrub, 
Pink from six to fifteen feet high, with a twisted, 
rps gray trunk and large handsome leaves, 
California : 
light green and very soft and smooth to 
the touch, paler and downier on the under side. The 
flowers are handsome and conspicuous, two or three inches 
across, with bright pink petals, warm and rich in tone, 
beautifully striped with maroon and shading to yellowish- 
white towards the center, with a purple pistil and grayish 
anthers. The flowers and seed-vessels hang on curved 
pedicels, like pipe-stems, giving a rather odd effect. The 
leaves and twigs are very mucilaginous. 
There are many kinds of Sphaeralcea, much like Mal- 
vastrum, except that they have two or three ovules, instead 
of one, in each cavity of the ovary. The name is from the 
Greek, meaning “‘ globe-mallow,”’ in allusion to the usually 
roundish fruit. 
These graceful wands of brilliant bloom 
Scarlet Mallow é : s 
are very common in spring in Arizona. 
S phaerdlcea ; aie 
pedata The flowers are over an inch across, vivid 
Red yet delicate in color, shading from lumi- 
Speed nous scarlet to clear pale-orange. The 
Southwest 
buds are tipped with deeper red and the 
foliage is rather pale green, somewhat hairy and downy. 
The stems are from one to two feet tall and bend slightly 
to one side, swaying to and fro in the wind and displaying 
their flaming blossoms to great advantage. 
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