36 



15. MALVACEiE. 



[Decaschisiia. 



Order 15. MALVACE^aE, 



Herbs, slirabs or soft-wooded trees. Leaves alternate^ simple, rarely 

 compound, stipulate^ often pal miner ved. Flowers bracteolate, axillary 

 or terminal, regular, hermaphrodite or unisexual; bracteoles 3 or 

 more, sometimes combined and forming an epicalyx. Sepals 5, valvate, 

 free or connate. Petals 5, twisted-imbricate. Stamens numerous, 

 monadelphous ; anthers 1 -celled ; pollen globose, muricate. Ovary 

 syncarpous ; carpels usually numerous, often whorled round a central 

 axis ; styles more or less connate ; stigmas globose, peltate or linear ; 

 ovules 1 or more, curved, attached to the inner angle of each carpel. 

 Fruit a dehiscent capsule or a number of distinct carpels. Seeds hairy, 

 silky or woolly ; albumen scanty, mucilaginous or ; embryo curved ; 

 cotyledons leafy, usually folded or crumpled. 



Staminal column tubular, entire. 



Stigmas 10, spreading. Bracteoles 10. Ovary 



10-celled 1. DecaschiStii. 



Stigmas 5, spreading, Bracteoles 5 or more. Orary 



2-5-celled ... ... 2.. HiBiscm 



Stigmas coherent, 



Bracteoles 3-5 linear, deciduous. Ovary 4-5-ceUed ... 3. Thespesia. 

 Bracteoles 3, large, cordatcj not deciduous. Ovary 5-ceUed 4. Gosstpicm* 

 Staminal column tubular at base only. Filaments 5-adelpbous 

 or free. 



Leaves simple ... 5. Kydta. 



Leaves digitate. 



Seeds glabrous 6. Adaitsonia. 



Seeds woolly. 



Filaments witb single anthers 7. Bombax. 



Filaments with 2-3 anthers ... 8. EetoDiSNDRON. 



1. DECASCHISTIA, W. & A. 



Shrubs. Leaves entire or lobed. Flowers large. Bracteoles lO^ 

 Styles 10, connate below ; stigmas capitato* Capsule loculicidally 

 10-valved, hispid. Seeds kidney-shaped. 



D. trilobata, Wgfc. Ic. t.88; FL Br. L 1. 332; Dalz. & Gibs. Bomb. 

 FL 21. 



Western Peninsula; Mysore, Konkan and the Deccan. On the 

 Konkan and the Supa Ghats of North Kanara, in open situation^ 

 abundant locally. Fl. Oct.-Nov. Fr. C. S. 



2. HIBISCUS, Medik. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves stipulate, usually more or less 

 palmately lobed. Inflorescence axillary. Bracteoles 5 or more,, rare- 

 ly fewer or 0, free or connate at the base. Calyx 5-divided, valvate, 

 sometimes spathaceous and circumciss. Petals 5, connate at the base 

 with the staminal tube. Staminal tube truncate or 5-toothed at the 

 summit. Ovary 5-celled, cells opposite to the sepals, each with 3 or 



