Flora of North America species comparison

sometimes rooting at base, usually branched distally, often hollow but firm, base conspicuously densely bristly, hairs simple with swollen base, 1–2.5 mm.

stipules lanceolate, 10–14 × 2 mm;

petioles of basal and proximal leaves (5–)10–20(–30) cm, 3–4+ times as long as blade, reduced distally and distalmost leaves nearly sessile;

blade reniform-orbiculate, cordate, unlobed and margins merely crenate or shallowly 5–7(–9)-lobed, 3–9.5(–12) × 3–13 cm, blades distally all deeply 5–7-lobed essentially to base, hairs simple on both sides, 1–1.5 mm, distalmost blades usually 5-parted with irregularly-toothed lobes.

usually cauline, alternate, also distichous in Krapovickasia, Malvella, Meximalva, and some species of Sida, subsessile or sessile in some Herissantia, Horsfordia, Sida, Sidastrum, and Sphaeralcea;

blade usually symmetric, asymmetric in Malvella, sometimes asymmetric in Pavonia, usually unlobed, sometimes palmately lobed or dissected, margins serrate or entire, primary veins often palmate (except in Lagunaria), without nectaries (except in Gossypium, Hibiscus, Talipariti, Thespesia, and Urena).

spiciform, dense, calyces usually overlapping, branched, 20+-flowered, 3–8 cm, little elongating in fruit, flowers and fruits overlapping;

primary peduncles (above distalmost leaf) usually equaling or shorter than mature inflorescence;

bracts linear-lanceolate, undivided, 7 mm, usually longer than young flower buds and conspicuous then, much longer than pedicels, shorter than to nearly equaling calyx.

terminal or axillary, umbels, spikes, racemes, or panicles or solitary flowers;

bracts usually present.

1–2 mm.

bisexual;

calyx 8–10 mm, to 13 mm in fruit, stellate-puberulent, conspicuously bristly-tomentose especially on base, hairs 1.5–2.5 mm;

petals pink, 15–16 mm;

staminal column 9 mm, hirtellous-hairy;

anthers white;

stigmas 7–9.

bisexual or unisexual, some species with staminate or pistillate flowers, plants usually hermaphroditic, some dioecious, some monoecious;

involucel (epicalyx) present or absent;

sepals usually persistent (deciduous in Abelmoschus), 5, ± connate;

petals 5, usually distinct, adnate to staminal column and connate to each other at base, falling together, without clawlike appendage;

androgynophore absent;

androecium monadelphous, in more than 1 concentric series in Sidalcea, staminal column sometimes toothed at apex, stamens 5–many, filaments connate;

anthers 1-thecate;

staminodes absent or 5 teeth at apex of staminal column;

gynoecium syncarpous, ovary superior, 3–40-carpellate;

styles 1, branched or unbranched;

stigmas truncate, capitate, linear, or filiform, 1–2 times number of carpels.

usually schizocarps with 5–many wedge-shaped mericarps or folliclelike segments, or capsules with 3–5 cells, rarely berries (in Malvaviscus), carpels sometimes with internal protrusion dividing carpel into 2 cells, dehiscence loculicidal, rarely indehiscent.

2 mm.

2–30, often reniform, glabrous or hairy.

5–6 mm diam.;

mericarps 7–9, 2.5 mm, sparsely puberulent with a few bristles, smooth or nearly so, margins rounded, mucro 0.5–0.7 mm.