SG. THE MALLOW FAMILY. [ Malva. 
10 or more, subulate. Carpels as many, arranged ina ring round a thickish 
axis, and separating from it when ripe, each one containing a single seed. 
A rather numerous genus, widely dispersed over Europe, northern and 
central Asia, North America, and South Africa. 
Stem decumbent or prostrate. Petals not above twice as long : 
asbee Calyx ts) bes ey eae - .  « l. M, rotundifolia. 
Stem erect or ascending. Petals 3 or 4 times the length of the calyx. 
Leaves with short, broad lobes, not reaching to the middle. 
Flowers in axillary clusters . 2 f A : ° ° 
Leaves deeply cut intonarrow lobes. Flowers crowded at the 
summits of the branches, ° ° . F - ; - 3. UM. moschata, 
2. W. sylvestris. 
The tall tree mallow (M. mauritiana) from the Mediterranean, and the 
curled mallow (M. crispa) from central Asia are often to be met with in 
cottage gardens. Several Cape species are also in cultivation. 
1. M. rotundifolia, Linn. (fig.195). Dwarf Mallow.—A procumbent 
annual, with a hard, sometimes woody-looking base, the stem 6 inches to a 
foot long, tough, and slightly downy. Leaves on long stalks, orbicular, 
cordate at the base, with 5 to 7 very short and broad crenate lobes. 
Flowers clustered in the axils of the leaves, small, and of a pale bluish 
colour, on pedicels $ to linch long. Petals 4 to 5 lineslong. Carpels 
usually about 15, downy, and rounded on the back, so as to form together 
a disk-shaped fruit, slightly furrowed on the margin between each two 
carpels. 
On roadsides and in waste places, throughout Europe and western Asia, 
except the extreme north. Common in England, rarer in Ireland and 
southern Scotland, still more so further north. £V. spring to autumn, 
M. parviflora, Linn. (M. pusilla, With.), from southern Europe and 
other warm climates, and extending north into Scandinavia; has been 
introduced with ballast. It has the small flowers of M. rotundifolia, but 
is chiefly distinguished by the carpels not rounded, but flat on the back, with 
angular edges, as in the M. sylvestris. M. verticillata, from southern 
Europe and central Asia, with the flowers and fruit of M. parviflora, but 
erect stems, and the flowers in close clusters, has appearcd in cornfields near 
Lianelly, in South Wales. [M. borealis, Wallm., has been reported from 
Kent, but never confirmed ]. 
2. WE. sylvestris, Linn. (fig. 196). Common Mallow.—A_ biennial, 
with several erect or ascending stems, 1 to 2 or even 3 feet high, more 
or less clothed with spreading hairs, especially in the upper part. Leaves 
on long stalks, orbicular, slightly cordate at the base, with 5 or 7 lobes, 
broad and short, but always deeper than in M. rotundifolia, and the middle - 
one often longer than the others. Flowers in axillary clusters, usually of 
a reddish-purple ; the petals about 9 or 10 lines long. Carpels usually 10, 
flat on the back, with angular edges, so that the fruit has rather projecting 
ribs than furrows between the carpels. 
In waste places, on roadsides, ete. Common in Europe, except at high 
northern latitudes, and extending all across Russian Asia. Abundant in 
England and Ireland, decreasing to the northward, and probably not in- 
digenous north of the Grampians. F7. summer. 
3. M.moschata, Linn. (fig. 197). Musk Mallow.—A perennial, with 
several erect, simple or slightly branched stems, about 18 inches high, 
covered with long, spreading hairs, Radical leaves orbicular, with short, 
