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59 - Malvaceae

from Division 5 - Magnoliophyta

Peter Sell  and
Gina Murrell
Peter Sell
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Gina Murrell
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

Annual to perennial herbs or shrubs. Leaves alternate, usually palmately veined and often palmate or palmately lobed, usually with stipules which are often caducous. Inflorescence a raceme or small panicle, or flowers solitary and axillary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, hypogynous and sometimes gynomonoecious. Epicalyx usually present, with up to about 13 segments. Calyx with 5 segments or lobes. Petals 5, more or less free, usually pink or purple. Stamens numerous; filaments united into a tube, divided above, with each branch bearing another lobe. Styles as many or rarely twice as many as ovary cells, free or united below. Ovary 5- to manycelled, each cell with 1 to many ovules. Fruit a capsule or a schizocarp that splits into 1- to several-seeded mericarps.

Contains about 40 genera with around 900 species in temperate to tropical regions.

  • Epicalyx absent 2.

  • Epicalyx present 6.

  • Style branches thread-like, longitudinally stigmatic on inner surface 9. Sidalcea

  • Style branches terminating in capitate stigmas 3.

  • Ovules 2 or more per cell; seeds usually 2 or more per mericarp; mericarps usually dehiscent and releasing the seeds at maturity 10. Abutilon

  • Ovules 1 per cell; seeds 1 per mericarp; mericarps releasing the seed by withering of the wall or by dehiscence at apex 4.

  • Petals blue-violet to lavender or white 12. Anoda

  • Petals white, yellow or orange 5.

  • Petals yellow to orange; mericarps 3–12, each with 2 points 2. Sida

  • Petals white; mericarps 5–15 5. Hoheria

  • Fruit a capsule 13. Hibiscus

  • Fruit a schizocarp 7.

  • Staminal column with 5 teeth at apex; mericarps 5; styles and stigmas 10 14. Pavonia

  • Staminal column bearing filaments at apex; mericarps numerous; styles and stigmas as many as mericarps 8.

  • Epicalyx segments 3–11 9.

  • Epicalyx segments 1–3 10.

  • Staminal tube cylindrical; flowers not more than 3 cm across, at least some of them on conspicuous pedicels 7. Althaea

  • Staminal tube 5-angled; flowers at least 3 cm across, more or less sessile in a spike-like inflorescence 8. Alcea

  • Epicalyx segments united at least at base in bud 6. Malva

  • Epicalyx segments free 11.

    • Type
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    Flora of Great Britain and Ireland , pp. 576 - 588
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
    Print publication year: 2018

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    • Malvaceae
    • Peter Sell, University of Cambridge, Gina Murrell, University of Cambridge
    • Book: Flora of Great Britain and Ireland
    • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9780511980091.075
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    • Malvaceae
    • Peter Sell, University of Cambridge, Gina Murrell, University of Cambridge
    • Book: Flora of Great Britain and Ireland
    • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9780511980091.075
    Available formats
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    • Malvaceae
    • Peter Sell, University of Cambridge, Gina Murrell, University of Cambridge
    • Book: Flora of Great Britain and Ireland
    • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9780511980091.075
    Available formats
    ×