166 
PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO 
[Malvacece. 
LAVATERA 
Linne , Gen. Plant, 842. 
Flowers bisexual. Calyx surrounded by a monophyllous three-cleft involute, five-lobed 
Petals 5, unguiculate, at the base connate witli the staminal tube. Stamens numerous. Free parts of 
filaments arising lateral and terminal from the cylinder. Anthers renate, bivalved, one-celled. Ovaries 
many attached to a columella. Ovules one in each ovary, ascendent. Styles as many as ovaries, 
connate towards the base, free and along the inner side stigmatose towards the summit Carpels 
many , secedent , i/ndehiscent , encircling m a si/ngle seines the columella. Seeds with scanty albumen. 
Cotyledons folded, cordate, foliaceous. Radicle descending. 
Herbs or shrubs indigenous to Middle and South Europe, Middle Asia, North Africa and 
extratropical Australia. Leaves broad, soft, always toothed. Stipules deciduous, sometimes foliaceous. 
Lobes of the involucre rarely subdivided. Corolla showy, usually rose-colored. Fruit-axis usually 
thick, varied in form. 
This genus could be adopted as a section of Althaea, from which it solely can be distinguished 
by its involucre, which is cleft into only three entire or subdivided lobes. Malva, of which genus, 
besides Malva ovata, only introduced species exist in Australia, differs also merely by its involucre, it 
being dissected into free leaflets. The South African genus Sphseroma, established by Prof. Harvey 
( vide Harv. & Sond. Flor. Capens. i. p. 158), differs in capitate stigmas and 2-3-ovuled dehiscent 
carpels. In Pavonia the styles are developed in a number double to that of the carpels. 
Ziavatera plebeja, Sims, Pot, May. t. 2269 ; Collet 7 Memories di Torino, xxxi. 336, t, 14; J, Hook. 
PI. Tasm. i. 47; L. Behriana, Sold. Linn. 1852; L. australis, A. Cunn. in Sold. Linnaa , 1854, 528; Malva 
Beliriana, Sold. Linn. 1847, 633.—Australian Marsh-Mallow. 
Frutescent, short-starhairy; stipules minute , semilanceolate-deltoid ; leaves round-cordate, with 5-7 
sometimes 3 short and usually blunt lobes; pedicels solitary, twin or several fasciculate, as long as or often 
longer than the calyx ; lobes of the involucre semiovate ; calyx nearly twice as long as the involucre, inside 
except the margin smooth, its lobes deltoid; staminal tube downy towards the middle ; free parts of filaments 
short; carpels acutangular, much shorter than the calyx, larger than the pyramidate-conical apex of the 
columella. v 
Along the banks of watercourses and in occasionally inundated depressions scattered over many parts 
of the Colony of Victoria, more frequent in the north-western portion ; thence extending to St Vincent’s 
Gulf, Spencer’s Gulf, Lake Torrens and the country on the eastern side of the Great Australian Bight; 
distributed also over a great portion of the interior of New South Wales; very common towards the Barrier 
Range, according to the unfortunate Mr. W. Wills. 
A shrubby plant, attaining the height of about 10 feet. Stems and branches clothed with usually 
dense starry downs. Lower petioles 1-3 inches long; upper ones gradually shorter. Stipules 1-1^ line long, 
on both sides star-hairy, early dropping. Leaves rather dissite, light-green, crenulated, on Loth pages almost 
equally downy, with as many radiating nerves as lobes, also traversed by secondary nerves and by faint veins. 
Pedicels axillary or forming a kind of leafy interrupted terminal panicle, rather stout, thinly star-hairy, from 
1-4 inches long, sometimes shorter, articulated near the summit. Involucre persistent, cleft to about two- 
thirds of its length into hardly pointed lobes, which are laxly appressed and traversed by a slightly prominent 
midnerve and some faint lateral longitudinal nervelets, and are on both sides star-downy and l|-2^ lines 
long. Calyx about 4-5 lines long, broad-campanulate, outside thinly star-downy, cleft to rather less than 
half of its length. Petals 1-1 b inch long, when fresh pale rose-colored or whitish, when drying turning 
