SMOOTH HIBISCUS. 
The genus Hibiscus, is named from the 
Greek of Dioscorides, I/3/aw ; but the ori- 
ginal derivation of this word does not appear 
to be known. It is in the sixth order of the 
sixteenth class of Linnaeus's Monadelphia 
Polyandria ; and in the natural order of the 
Columniferae, or Malvaceae of Jussieu. 
The species of this genus are extremely nu- 
merous; no less than forty-five species are de- 
scribed in Professor Martyn's valuable edition 
of Miller's Gardener's Dictionary. Much 
the greater part of this genus are natives of 
either the East or the West Indies ; and they 
are, also, mostly perennials. Many of them 
have shrubby stalks, but some are only her- 1 
baceous. The leaves are alternate, and com- 
monly of a soft texture : in some of the spe- 
cies they are glandulous beneath, especially on 
the midrib. The flowers are of the Mallow 
kind; axillary, and terminating. The bark, 
in several of the species, is capable of being 
drawn 
