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. munroana (Douglas) Spach

Plant canescent
Stem erect, ± 7.5 dm
Leaf: blade < 4.5 cm, triangular to weakly 5-lobed, 5-veined, green to gray-green, base truncate to tapered, margin coarsely dentate
Inflorescence raceme-like; flowers in clusters; tip leafless
Flower: pedicels < calyx; petals 11–14 mm, red-orange; filament tube 7–8 mm, ± hairy, anthers yellow
Fruit: segments ± 12, 3.5–4 mm, 2.5–3 mm wide, spheric, with sharp reflexed tip, dehiscent part < 2 mm, acute, ± 55% of segment
Seed 1 per segment, brown, slightly hairy
Ecology: Uncommon. Dry, open places
Elevation: ± 2000 m.
Bioregional distribution: n High Sierra Nevada (Squaw Creek, Placer Co.)
Distribution outside California: to Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Utah
Horticultural information: DRN, DRY, SUN: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.