MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 467 



flowers showy; sepals five, rarely three or four ; 

 petals equal in number to the sepals ; aestiva- 

 tion twisted ; stamens 0, all perfect ; fila- 

 ments monadelphous ; anthers 1 -celled, dehis- 

 cence transverse ; ovary of several carpels 

 united round a common axis ; styles as many 

 as carpels ; stigmas variable ; fruit capsular 

 or baccate ; embryo curved ; albumen none. 

 Abundant in tropical and in warmer tem- 

 perate climes. Common-Mallow (Malva) and 

 Marsh-Mallow (Althcea) are used medicinally; 

 but by far the most important genus is Gos- 

 sypium, the source of the cotton of com- 

 merce. 



3. Family. — Indian-Cresses (Tropseolaceae). Her- 



baceous, smooth ; leaves alternate, exstipu- 

 late 5 peduncles axillary, 1 -flowered ; flowers 

 showy ; sepals 3-5, the upper spurred ; petals 

 1-5, more or less unequal; stamens 6-10, 

 distinct ; disk none ; ovary of 3 or 5 carpels ; 

 style single; stigmas 3-5, acute; ovules 

 erect or pendulous ; fruit indehiscent, usually 

 of three pieces ; seeds exalbuminous ; embryo 

 large. Natives of temperate parts of North 

 and South America. 



4. Family. — Vivianiads (Vivianiacese). Herbaceous 



or suffruticose; leaves opposite or verticillate 

 exstipulate, often downy ; flowers in panicles 

 or corymbs; calyx 10-ribbed, 5-divided ; 

 petals five ; persistent ; aestivation twisted ; 

 stamens ten, distinct ; disk none ; ovary S- 



