294 
PARK AND CCMETCRY. 
Garden Plants, — Their Geography. IX. 
MALVALES. 
THE MALVA, HIBISCUS, AND TILIA ALLIANCE. 
This extensive group of trees, shrubs and herbs, 
has a wide distribution in nearly all regions of the 
world except the very coldest. There are 12 tribes, 
167 genera, and 2,000 species, with a multitude of 
varieties. It is a useful group, notable as produc- 
ing a number of valuable fibres chief of which is 
cotton. As garden plants many are eminently 
ornamental both in tropical and temperate climates. 
Several are handsome marsh or sub-aquatic herbs, 
and a few a’-e esculents. 
Althcea \s credited with 15 species distributed 
over the temperate regions of the world. The most 
familiar and worthy species 
in our gardens being the A. 
rosea, “hollyhock,” with its 
large number of single and 
double varieties. This plant 
is a biennial in our climate, 
or perennial in more favor- 
able ones. It shows a dis- 
position to naturalize in some 
seasons in Central New Jer- 
sey, but again in others it 
seems to be confined to the 
warmest and best drained 
spots in old gardens or cem- 
eteries. It is a native of the 
Levant. The other species 
are rarely seen, but often 
worth growing. 
Lavatera has 21 species similarly distributed over 
the warm temperate regions and one from Australia. 
L. arborea is found wild sometimes on the rocky 
cliffs of the south coast of England, but is quite 
impatient of frost when grown in the rich soil of a 
garden, where it often reaches a height of 12 or 15 
feet, it has rosy-purple flowers some two inches 
across and there is a variegated form. L. trimestris 
is an annual from 
Spain with pink or 
white flowers. 
Malva has 1 6 spe- 
cies, in temperate 
regions and widely 
distributed, but ad- 
ventive in the Unit- 
ed States. M. mos- 
chata, British, M. 
Mauritiana African, 
and others are 
known in gardens. 
There are perennials 
and annuals among malva moschata alba. 
them and all are 
summer flowers. 
Callirhoe with 7 
species, Sidalcea 
with 8 species, and 
Napcea with i spe- 
cies are all North 
American. 
Sida has 90 spe- 
cies distributed gen- 
erally over the 
warmer parts of the 
world. S. spinosa 
is a roadside weed 
in New Jersey, but 
adventive from the 
South. ABUiTLON, Garden Variety. 
Abtitilon has 80 species distributed over the 
warmer parts of the world, but again New Jersey 
claims one wanderer from India, A.avicennm. Very 
many garden varieties are in cultivation, they are 
useful both as summer and winter blooming plants 
and are hardy in California. They thrive well 
planted out in the northern gardens during sum- 
mer, but are rather difficult to lift until they 
hibiscus ROSA — SINENSIS FULGENS. 
become large and attain a good sized compact ball 
of roots, when with a little attention to shading 
&c. they are easy. I would here remark that at- 
tention should be given to the raising of hy- 
brids between the annual and biennial species of 
these tribes. It is entirely practicable. Up to quite 
recent times seed pods of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 
were unknown in herbaria, and this induced me to 
produce them 18 years ago. I had failed in a pre- 
vious year with their own pollen, but succeeded 
with pollen of Hibiscus Cameroni, etc. The seeds 
were sown, and grew, when the plants passed 
