MALVACEAE

MALLOW FAMILY

Steven R. Hill, except as specified

Annual, perennial herb, shrubs, trees, generally stellate-hairy; juice sticky; inner bark tough, fibrous
Leaves alternate, simple, petioled; blade generally palmately veined or lobed, stipules present
Inflorescence often leafy; whorl or involucre of bractlets often subtending calyx
Flower generally bisexual, radial; calyx lobes 5, margins abutting in bud; petals 5, free (fused at base to filament tube, so falling together); stamens many, filaments fused into a tube surrounding style, tube fused in turn to petal bases; pistil 1, ovary superior, chambers generally 5 or more, style branches, stigmas generally 1 or 2 X as many as chambers
Fruit of 5–many disk- or wedge-shaped segments, loculicidal capsule, or berry
Genera in family: 100 genera, 2000 species: worldwide, especially warm regions; some cultivated (e.g., Abelmoschus , okra; Alcea ; Gossypium , cotton; Hibiscus , Malvaviscus )
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Sterculiaceae [Angiosperm phylogeny Group 1998 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 85:531–553; Alverson et al. 1999 Amer J Bot 86:1474–1486; Bayer et al. 1999 Bot J Linn Soc 129:267–303]
Mature fruit important for identification.

SPHAERALCEA

GLOBEMALLOW

John C. La Duke

Annual, perennial herb, stellate-hairy
Leaf petioled; blade linear-lanceolate to triangular, entire to deeply dissected
Inflorescence: panicle or raceme-like (unbranched except for clusters in axils)
Flower: petals obovate, red-orange, white, or lavender; filament tube glabrous or stellate-hairy, anthers yellow or purple; stigmas head-like
Fruit breaking into 9–17 segments; upper part of segment dehiscent, smooth; lower part indehiscent, strongly net-veined, 1–2-seeded
Seeds gray, black, or brown
Species in genus: ± 50 species: warm Am, s Africa
Etymology: (Greek: globe mallow, from fruit shape)
Reference: [Kearney 1935 Univ Calif Publ Bot 19:1–128]
Polyploidy and intermediates common.

Native

S. ambigua A. Gray

APRICOT MALLOW

Plant canescent
Stem erect, 5–10 dm
Leaf: blade 15–50 mm, ± triangular, weakly 3-lobed, green or yellow-green, 3-veined, base wedge-shaped, truncate, cordate, margin crenate, wavy
Inflorescence: tip not leafy
Fruit: segments 9–13, < 6 mm, < 3.5 mm wide, truncate-cylindric, dehiscent part < 3.5 mm, rounded, 60–75% of segment
Seeds 2 per segment, brown, glabrous, ± hairy
Ecology: Desert scrub
Elevation: 150–2500 m.
Bioregional distribution: s East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
Distribution outside California: to Utah, Arizona, Mexico

Native

var. rosacea (Munz & I.M. Johnst.) Kearney

PARISH MALLOW

Leaf not markedly wrinkled
Inflorescence open
Flower: petals lavender to pink; filament tube ± 11 mm, ± glabrous, anthers purple-gray
Fruit: dehiscent portion ± 60% of segment
Ecology: Desert scrub
Elevation: 150–800 m.
Bioregional distribution: Desert (especially Sonoran Desert)
Distribution outside California: Arizona, Mexico
Flowering time: Mar–Jul, Oct
Horticultural information: DRN, SUN, DRY: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.