Family Malvaceae Juss.
Сем. LXXX. СЛЕЗОВИ — MALVACEAE JUSS.¹
Fam: Malvaceae Juss.
English Name: MallowsDescription: Trees, shrubs or herbs, with mucous substances. Leaves consecutive, entire or differently cut and serrated, often palm cut, with free, usually early drooping stipule. The flowers are numerous, single or 2 - 14 (rarely more) in the grooves of the leaves, at the top parts of the stems and branches sometimes in racemose, meticulousness and class-like inflorescences; regular, bisexual (in our representatives), rarely dioecious or multidecadal. The calyx is usually double; outer sepals from 3 to numerous, free or fused; inner 5 (3), free or usually fused. Petals 5, free or slightly fused at the base and with base of the stamen tube; in the flower bud curved. Stamens numerous, rarely 5, usually in two circles, the outer circle sometimes turned into staminodes; one-nest anthers, dissolving in length. The carpellum of three to very carpel with the upper ovary; seedlings one to many in each nest, inverted, usually ascending, rarely hanging or horizontal; styles as many as carpelums or twice as many. The fruit is dry, decomposing into numerous fruiting lobes (mericarp) or bursting box, rarely berry-shaped. Fruit lobes with dorsal and lateral walls, separated by rounded or sharp, sometimes winged edges. Seeds with little or no endosperm, kidney-shaped, with straight or curved embryo.
Table for the determination of wild and cultivated genera
1 The calyx is made up of a row of leaves ……………...............................…………….. 1. - Abutilon Mill.
1* Double calyx ............................................................................................................................................ 2
2 Carpels 3 - 5, fruit box ............................................................................................................................ 3
2* Carpels at least 6, fruit dry, malleable ........................................................................................................ 4
3 External sepals 3, broadly ovate, deeply serrated ….............................................. * Cotton - Gossypium L.
3* External sepals 6 - 13, linear to linear lance, entire ............................................................... 7. - Hibiscus L.
4 Outer sepals 6 - 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 5
4* Exterior sepals 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 6
5 Stamen tube in cross section rounded; blossoms not exceeding 30 mm in diameter; fruiting lobes always single-nested .................................................................................................................................................. 3. - Althaea L.
5* Stamen tube in cross section pentagonal; blossoms at least 30 mm in diameter; fertile lobes incompletely double-lobed, one nest sterile and separated from the other by a false barrier ........................................... 4. - Alcea L.
6 External sepals fused from 1/3 to half ................................................................................. 2. - Lavatera L.
6* Exterior sepals free .................................................................................................................................... 7
7 Fruit lobes swollen; petals rounded on top …................................................. 6. - Malvella Jaub. et Spach
7* Fruit lobes not swollen; petals incised at the apex to nearly two-lobed …................................ 5. - Malva L.
М. Developed by M. Markova.
From: „Флора на Н Р България”, том VII, БАН, София, (1979) * * *
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species.[3][4] Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ornamentals, such as Alcea (hollyhock), Malva (mallow) and Lavatera (tree mallow), as well as Tilia (lime tree). The largest genera in terms of number of species include Hibiscus (300 species), Sterculia (250 species), Dombeya (250 species), Pavonia (200 species) and Sida (200 species).[5]Taxonomy and nomenclature
The circumscription of the Malvaceae is controversial. The traditional Malvaceae sensu stricto comprise a very homogeneous and cladistically monophyletic group. Another major circumscription, Malvaceae sensu lato, has been more recently defined on the basis that molecular techniques have shown the commonly recognised families Bombacaceae, Tiliaceae, and Sterculiaceae, which have always been considered closely allied to Malvaceae s.s., are not monophyletic groups. Thus, the Malvaceae can be expanded to include all of these families so as to compose a monophyletic group. Adopting this circumscription, the Malvaceae incorporate a much larger number of genera.[citation needed]
Description
Most species are herbs or shrubs, but some are trees and lianas.
Leaves and stems
Leaves are generally alternate, often palmately lobed or compound and palmately veined. The margin may be entire, but when dentate, a vein ends at the tip of each tooth (malvoid teeth). Stipules are present. The stems contain mucous canals and often also mucous cavities. Hairs are common, and are most typically stellate.[citation needed]. Stems of Bombacoideae are often covered in thick prickles.[15]
Flowers
The flowers are commonly borne in definite or indefinite axillary inflorescences, which are often reduced to a single flower, but may also be cauliflorous, oppositifolious, or terminal. They often bear supernumerary bracts in the structure of a bicolor unit.[12] They can be unisexual or bisexual, and are generally actinomorphic, often associated with conspicuous bracts, forming an epicalyx. They generally have five valvate sepals, most frequently basally connate, with five imbricate petals. The stamens are five to numerous, and connate at least at their bases, but often forming a tube around the pistils. The pistils are composed of two to many connate carpels. The ovary is superior, with axial placentation, with capitate or lobed stigma. The flowers have nectaries made of many tightly packed glandular hairs, usually positioned on the sepals.[11]
Fruits
The fruits are most often loculicidal capsules, schizocarps or nuts.
Pollination
Self-pollination is often avoided by means of protandry. Most species are entomophilous (pollinated by insects). Bees from the tribe Emphorini of the Apidae (including Ptilothrix, Diadasia, and Melitoma) are known to specialize on the plants.
Importance
A number of species are pests in agriculture, including Abutilon theophrasti and Modiola caroliniana, and others that are garden escapes. Cotton (four species of Gossypium), kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), cacao (Theobroma cacao), kola nut (Cola spp.), and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) are important agricultural crops. The fruit and leaves of baobabs are edible, as is the fruit of the durian. A number of species, including Hibiscus syriacus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Alcea rosea are garden plants.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia * * *
Distribution in Bulgaria: (Conspectus of the Bulgarian Vascular Flora) = conspectus&gs_l= Zlc. Distribution: References: „Флора на Н Р България”, том VII, БАН, София, (1979), Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GENERA:
Genus Alcea L. EN.html - Hollyhocks
Genus Althea L. EN.html - Hollyhocks
Genus Lavatera L. EN.html - Tree mallows
Genus Malva L. EN.html - Mallow
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