ALVA MOSCMATA^ MUSK MALLOW, 



MALVA Lin. Gen. PL Monadelphia PolyandriA. 



Col. duplex: exterior triphylluso ArilU plurimi* monofpermi. 

 Rail Syn. Gen. 15. Herbje semine nudo polyspermy. 

 MALVA mofchata caule ere&o, foliis radicalibus reniformibus incifis ; caulinis quinquepartitis pinnato* 



multifidis-. Lin. Syji. Vegetah. p. 523-. Spec. Pi. p. qpi. FL Suec. n. 629. 

 MALVA foliis radicalibus reniformibus, incifis, caulinis quinquepartitis pinnatis, pinnis dentatis* 



Hallen Hiji. m 1072. 

 MALVA Mofchata, Scopoli Fk Carn. n. 861. 



MALVA montana five Alcea rotundifolia laciniata* Col. Ecphr. i. p, 14&. t. 14^. 

 ALCEA folio rotundo laciniato. Baub. Pin. 316. 

 ALCEA tenuifolia crilpa. I. B. II. App. 1067. Rati Sym p. 253. Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ad. 1-. p. 308. 



Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 376. 



RADIX perennis, albida, fublignofa, difficillime eruta. t ROOT perennial, whitifh, fomevvhat woody, and with 



J difficulty pulled up. 



CAULIS: exunaradice caules nafcuntur plurimi, bipe- ? STALK; from one root arife feveral ftalks* about two 

 dales, fuberecti, ramofi, teretes, fiflulofi, hir- I feet high, nearly upright, branched, round, 



futi, punctis purpureis prominulis adfperfi, e f hollow* hirfute, fprinkled with purple pro- 



quibus pili prodettnt,, | minent points, from which the hairs iiTue. 



FOLIA alterna, petiolata, inferiora plerumque fex par- ^ LEAVES alternate* {landing on foot-fialks, the lower 

 tita, kciniis pinnatifidis, multifido-laciniatis, | ones generally deeply divided into fix fegments* 



hirfutulis, apice fubacutis, fuperiora brevius | which are pinnatifid and fub-divided iato many 



petiolata, in pauciores et tenuiores lacinias t others, (lightly hirfute* and pointed at the 



divifa. I tips, the upper ones {landing on fhorter foot* 



t ftalks, and divided into fewer and narrower 



I t fegments. 



STIPULE utrinque binae, ereclas* laiiceolatse, hirfutge, $: STiPULiE two oti each fide* upright, lanceolate, hir- 

 marginae undulatae. | fute* waved on the edge. 



FLOPJES magni, fpeciofi, carneu % FLOWERS large, fhowy, and flefh-coloured. 



PEDUNCULI unciales* teretes, pilofi, ? FLOWER- STALKS an inch in length, round and 



$ hairy. 



CALYX: PeriantHitjm duplex* inferius triphyllum, t CALYX: a double Perianthium, the lowermoft com- 

 foliolis lanceolatis, fuperius quinquefidum, | pofed of three lanceolate leaves, the upper- 



ovato-acutum, fbpe laciniatum, punctatum, y moll: divided into five fegments, ovate and 



hirfutum, margine ferrato glandulofum» Jig. i.| pointed, often jagged, dotted, hirfute, the 



I edge ferrated with fmall glands. Jig. t. 



COROLLA : Petala quinque, fubtriangularia, cafnea, | COROLLA : five Petals* fomewhat triangular, flefh- 

 venis faturatioribus ramofis notata, apice fub- 1 coloured, marked with branched veins of a 



truncata, erofa* bafi albida, margine utrinque t deeper colour* fomewhat truncated with a 



ciliata. Jig. 2. | piece bit out at top, at bottom whitifh, with 



$ the edge fringed on each fide with hairs* jig. 2» 



STAMINA: Filamenta plurima, in tubum cylmdra- | STAMINA : Filaments numerous, forming a whitifh 

 ceum, albidum, pilofum coalita, fuperne li- % hairy cylindrical tube* loofe at top* and bend- 



bera, refiexa. Anthers primum reniformes, | ing back. Anthers at firfl kidney-fhaped 



earner, dein purpurea, demum casrulefcentes. | and flefh-coloured, then purple, and laftly 



Pollen album, globofum. Jig. 3. % blueifh. Pollen white and, globular. Jig. 3. 



PISTILLUM: Germina plurima, in orbem difpofita, | PISTILLUM : GERMiNAnumerous* circularly difpoled, 

 flavefcentia ; Styli plurimi, ruberrimi, fili- % of a yellowifh colour* Styles numerous, of 



formes, ad unum latus pilofi, polline plerum- I a bright red colour, thread-fhaped, hairy oil 



que obducti. Stigmata fimplicia. Jig. 5. % one fide, and generally covered with pollen* 



t Stigmata fimple. Jig. 5. - 



The plant here figured has been, and is ftill, confidered by mod Engliih Botanifts as the Vervain Mallow t there 

 is little doubt but it is the plant which Ray confidered as the Alcea vulgaris major of C. Bauhine, in which idea 

 he was mofl probably miftaken, as it accords better with the Alcea rotundifolia laciniata of that author. Be this 

 as it may, it certainly is not the Malva Alcea of Linn^xjs, which Mr. Hudson makes a native of this country ; 

 and which, he fays, grows wild in Warwick/hire, Leiceferjhire, and Nottinghamjhre. 



At the fame time that Linnjeus has very properly made two diftinct fpecies of thefe plants, he has been rather 

 unfortunate in the parts he has felecled for their difcrimination. 



Taking for granted that Mr. Hudson has good authority for what he afferts (although the counties he fpecifies are 

 not particularly mentioned by Ray) it appears, that the Mofchata is a general, the Alcea a local plant ; the 

 former I have found in molt of the counties I have vifited, and Mr. Lightfoot mentions it as growing in 

 Scotland ; the latter I have never feen wild, but have occafionally obferved it in fome of the gardens about London ; 

 and lafl year, having an opportunity of cultivating it in my own, I was agreeably furprized, to find that it afforded 

 many obvious and fatisfactory diftinctions, the mofl ftriking of which I mail enumerate, for the gratification of 

 the Englifh Botanifl. 



The Malva Alcea grew to nearly twice the height of the Mofchata, whence it agrees with Bauhine's name of 

 major. It was in every refped a ftronger plant, and harfher to the touch ; the leaves of the flalk were much left 

 jagged; the flowers in both were pretty fimilar, both in ftiape, fize, and colour; but the calyces differed 

 remarkably, In the Mofchata the lowermoft let of leaves were lanceolate, fometimes almofl linear; in the 

 Alcea they were ovate ; added to this, the calyx of the Alcea, near its bafe, had a large protuberant annulus 

 or ring, which was entirely wanting in the Mofchata. Thefe characters of the calyx alone will, it is prefumed, 

 ever be found fufficient to diflinguifh the two plants when in flower ; befides thefe, the Mofchata drawn through 

 the hand has the peculiar property of communicating a flrong fmell of raufk, whence its name. 



From this relation thofe Botanifts, refident in the counties above mentioned, will be "better enabled to judge 

 whether they have the true Malva Alcea or not. 



The Mofchaia grows very plentifully in the neighbourhood of Coomb Wood, and flowers in June and July. 



No particular virtues or ufes are attributed to this fpecies 3 but its beauty entitles it to a place in the garden. 



Bees refoit much to it. 



