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General Introduction to family Malvaceae Info

Malvaceae Info is a de facto educational and research charity. It is my belief that the
World Wide Web is a suitable vehicle to empower people by providing them with
easier and greater access to information (pity about the quality control problem). For
this to be achieved requires people or organisations to provide information. Malvaceae
Info is part of my attempt to put something back into the web - I decided that there
wasn't any great point with me providing software engineering pages, as there are
many company sponsored pages available, with greater resources than I can provide .
For other material provided see my home page.

I may in the future attempt to cover costs by partially commercialising the site, but if I
should do so I would keep the commercial and informational parts separate.

Malvaceae Info started off as a page about the genus Lavatera, and has since grown.
Its scope is the extended Malvaceae of the classification of the Angiosperm
Phylogeny Group, incorporating the old Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae. It
is a work in progress, and does not, and will not for some considerable time, provide
complete in depth coverage of the family.

Malvaceae Info is targeted at botanists, natural historians, horticulturalists and


gardeners. I have not fully resolved the problem as how to address these disparate
audiences within a single forum - if I include enough detail for botanists, the jargon
will intimidate the average gardener.

Malvaceae Info is divided into a number of components.

A. The Malvaceae Gallery - a collection of images sorted by genus. The coverage


here is constrained by which plants I have acquired digital photographs of, but
provides a means of providing a modicum of information about genera for which I
have not yet provided any other material. Currently included genera
Malvaceae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Malvaceae

Least mallow, Malva parviflora

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Malvales

Family: Malvaceae
Juss.[1]

Subfamilies

 Bombacoideae
 Brownlowioideae
 Byttnerioideae
 Dombeyoideae
 Grewioideae
 Helicteroideae
 Malvoideae
 Sterculioideae
 Tilioideae
Synonyms[2]
 Bombacaceae Kunth
 Brownlowiaceae Cheek
 Byttneriaceae R.Br.
 Dombeyaceae Kunth
 Durionaceae Cheek
 Helicteraceae J.Agardh
 Hermanniaceae Marquis
 Hibiscaceae J.Agardh
 Lasiopetalaceae Rchb.
 Melochiaceae J.Agardh
 Pentapetaceae Bercht. &
J.Presl
 Philippodendraceae A.Juss.
 Plagianthaceae J.Agardh
 Sparmanniaceae J.Agardh
 Sterculiaceae Vent.
 Theobromataceae J.Agardh
 Tiliaceae Juss.

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). The largest genera in terms of number of species
include Hibiscus (300 species), Sterculia (250 species), Dombeya (250
[5]
species), Pavonia (200 species) and Sida (200 species).
Contents
[hide]

 1Taxonomy and nomenclature


o 1.1Subfamilies
o 1.2Synapomorphies
o 1.3Names
 2Description
o 2.1Leaves and stems
o 2.2Flowers
o 2.3Fruits
o 2.4Pollination
 3Importance
 4See also
 5References
 6External links

Taxonomy and nomenclature[edit]


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]
Subfamilies[edit]
This article is based on the second circumscription, as presented by
the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.[4] The Malvaceae s.l. (hereafter simply
"Malvaceae") comprise nine subfamilies. A tentative cladogram of the family is
shown below. The diamond denotes a poorly supported branching (<80%).

Byttnerioideae: 26 genera, 650 species, pan-tropical, especially South America

Grewioideae: 25 genera, 770 species, pan-tropical



Sterculioideae: 12 genera, 430 species, pan-tropical
America

Dombeyoideae: about 20 genera, about 380 species, palaeo-tropical,


especially Madagascar and Mascarenes

Brownlowioideae: eight genera, about 70 species, especially palaeo-tropical

Helicteroideae: eight to 12 genera, 10 to 90 species, tropical,


especially Southeast Asia

Malvoideae: 78 genera, 1,670 species, temperate to tropical

Bombacoideae: 12 genera, 120 species, tropical,


especially Africa and America

It is important to point out the relationships between these subfamilies are still
either poorly supported or almost completely obscure. There are continuing
disagreements over the correct circumscription of these subfamilies, including
the preservation of the family, Bombacaceae.[6]The circumscription of the family
may change dramatically as new studies are published.
If looking for information about the traditional Malvaceae s.s., we recommend
referring to Malvoideae, the subfamily that approximately corresponds to that
group.

Synapomorphies
The relationships between the "core Malvales" families used to be defined on the
basis of shared "malvean affinities." These included the presence of malvoid
teeth, stems with mucilage canals, and stratified wedge-shaped phloem.[7] These
affinities were problematic because they were not always shared within the core
families.[8] Later studies revealed more unambiguous synapomorphies within
Malvaceae s.l.. Synapomorphies identified within Malvaceae s.l. include the
presence of tile cells, trichomatous nectaries, and an inflorescence structure
called a bicolor unit.[9] Tile cells consist of vertically positioned cells interspersed
between and dimensionally similar to procumbent ray cells. Evidence of Malvean
wood fossils have confirmed their evolutionary link in Malvaceae s.l., as well
explained their diverse structures.[10] Flowers of Malvaceae s.l. exhibit nectaries
consisting of densely arranged multicellular hairs resembling trichomes. In most
of Malvaceae s.l., these trichomatous nectaries are located on the inner surface
of the sepals, but flowers of the subfamily, Tiliodeae, also have present nectaries
on the petals.[11] Malvean flowers also share a unifying structure known as a
bicolor unit, named for its initial discovery in the flowers of Theobroma bicolor.
The bicolor unit consists of an ordered inflorescence with determinate cymose
structures. The inflorescence can branch off the main axis, creating separate
orders of the flowers, with the main axis developing first. Bracts on the peduncle
subtend axillary buds that become these lateral stalks. One bract within this
whorl is a sterile bract. The bicolor unit is a variable structure in complexity, but
the presence of fertile and sterile bracts is a salient character.[12]

Names[edit]
The English common name 'mallow' (also applied to other members of
Malvaceae) comes from Latin malva (also the source for the English word
"mauve"). Malva itself was ultimately derived from the word for the plant in
ancient Mediterranean languages.[13] Cognates of the word include Ancient
Greek μαλάχη (malákhē) or μολόχη (molókhē), Modern Greek μολόχα (molóha),
modern Arabic: ‫( ملوخية‬mulukhiyah) and modern Hebrew: ‫( מלוחיה‬molokhia).[13][14]

Alcea rosea is a common garden flower in Malvaceae


Most species are herbs or shrubs, but some are trees and lianas.
Leaves and stems[edit]
Stellate hairs on the underside of a dried leaf of Malva alcea
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[edit]
Durian fruits
The fruits are most often loculicidal capsules, schizocarps or nuts.
Pollination[edit]
Self-pollination is often avoided by means of protandry. Most species
are entomophilous (pollinated by insects). Bees from the Emphorinitribe of
the Apidae (including Ptilothrix, Diadasia, and Melitoma) are known to specialize
on the plants.

Importance[edit]
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.

Malvaceae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malvaceae
Least mallow, Malva parviflora

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Malvales

Family: Malvaceae
Juss.[1]

Subfamilies
 Bombacoideae
 Brownlowioideae
 Byttnerioideae
 Dombeyoideae
 Grewioideae
 Helicteroideae
 Malvoideae
 Sterculioideae
 Tilioideae
Synonyms[2]
 Bombacaceae Kunth
 Brownlowiaceae Cheek
 Byttneriaceae R.Br.
 Dombeyaceae Kunth
 Durionaceae Cheek
 Helicteraceae J.Agardh
 Hermanniaceae Marquis
 Hibiscaceae J.Agardh
 Lasiopetalaceae Rchb.
 Melochiaceae J.Agardh
 Pentapetaceae Bercht. & J.Presl
 Philippodendraceae A.Juss.
 Plagianthaceae J.Agardh
 Sparmanniaceae J.Agardh
 Sterculiaceae Vent.
 Theobromataceae J.Agardh
 Tiliaceae Juss.
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with
[3][4]
4225 known species. 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). The largest genera in terms
of number of species include Hibiscus (300 species), Sterculia (250 species), Dombeya (250
[5]
species), Pavonia (200 species) and Sida (200 species).

Contents
[hide]
 1Taxonomy and nomenclature
o 1.1Subfamilies

o 1.2Synapomorphies

o 1.3Names

 2Description
o 2.1Leaves and stems

o 2.2Flowers

o 2.3Fruits

o 2.4Pollination

 3Importance
 4See also
 5References
 6External links
Taxonomy and nomenclature[edit]
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
[citation needed]
larger number of genera.

Subfamilies[edit]
This article is based on the second circumscription, as presented by the Angiosperm Phylogeny
[4]
Website. The Malvaceae s.l. (hereafter simply "Malvaceae") comprise nine subfamilies. A
tentative cladogram of the family is shown below. The diamond denotes a poorly supported
branching (<80%).

Byttnerioideae: 26 genera, 650 species, pan-tropical,


especially South America
Grewioideae: 25 genera, 770 species, pan-tropical
♦ Sterculioideae: 12 genera, 430 species, pan-tropical
Tilioideae: three genera, 50 species, northern temperate
regions and Central America
Dombeyoideae: about 20 genera, about 380 species, palaeo-
tropical, especially Madagascar and Mascarenes
Brownlowioideae: eight genera, about 70 species, especially
palaeo-tropical
Helicteroideae: eight to 12 genera, 10 to 90 species,
tropical, especially Southeast Asia
♦ Malvoideae: 78 genera, 1,670 species, temperate to
tropical
Bombacoideae: 12 genera, 120 species, tropical,
especially Africa and America

It is important to point out the relationships between these subfamilies are still either poorly
supported or almost completely obscure. There are continuing disagreements over the correct
[6]
circumscription of these subfamilies, including the preservation of the family, Bombacaceae. The
circumscription of the family may change dramatically as new studies are published.
If looking for information about the traditional Malvaceae s.s., we recommend referring
to Malvoideae, the subfamily that approximately corresponds to that group.
Synapomorphies[edit]
The relationships between the "core Malvales" families used to be defined on the basis of shared
"malvean affinities." These included the presence of malvoid teeth, stems with mucilage canals, and
[7]
stratified wedge-shaped phloem. These affinities were problematic because they were not always
[8]
shared within the core families. Later studies revealed more unambiguous synapomorphies within
Malvaceae s.l.. Synapomorphies identified within Malvaceae s.l. include the presence of tile cells,
[9]
trichomatous nectaries, and an inflorescence structure called a bicolor unit. Tile cells consist of
vertically positioned cells interspersed between and dimensionally similar to procumbent ray cells.
Evidence of Malvean wood fossils have confirmed their evolutionary link in Malvaceae s.l., as well
[10]
explained their diverse structures. Flowers of Malvaceae s.l. exhibit nectaries consisting of
densely arranged multicellular hairs resembling trichomes. In most of Malvaceae s.l., these
trichomatous nectaries are located on the inner surface of the sepals, but flowers of the subfamily,
[11]
Tiliodeae, also have present nectaries on the petals. Malvean flowers also share a unifying
structure known as a bicolor unit, named for its initial discovery in the flowers of Theobroma bicolor.
The bicolor unit consists of an ordered inflorescence with determinate cymose structures. The
inflorescence can branch off the main axis, creating separate orders of the flowers, with the main
axis developing first. Bracts on the peduncle subtend axillary buds that become these lateral stalks.
One bract within this whorl is a sterile bract. The bicolor unit is a variable structure in complexity, but
[12]
the presence of fertile and sterile bracts is a salient character.

Names[edit]
The English common name 'mallow' (also applied to other members of Malvaceae) comes from
Latin malva (also the source for the English word "mauve"). Malva itself was ultimately derived from
[13]
the word for the plant in ancient Mediterranean languages. Cognates of the word include Ancient
Greek μαλάχη (malákhē) or μολόχη (molókhē), Modern Greek μολόχα (molóha),
[13][14]
modern Arabic: ‫( ملوخية‬mulukhiyah) and modern Hebrew: ‫( מלוחיה‬molokhia).

Description[edit]

Alcea rosea is a common garden flower in Malvaceae


Most species are herbs or shrubs, but some are trees and lianas.
Leaves and stems[edit]

Stellate hairs on the underside of a dried leaf of Malva


alcea
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,
[citation needed]
and are most typically stellate. . Stems of Bombacoideae are often covered in thick
[15]
prickles.

Flowers[edit]
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
[12]
supernumerary bracts in the structure of a bicolor unit. 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
[11]
tightly packed glandular hairs, usually positioned on the sepals.

Fruits[edit]

Durian fruits
The fruits are most often loculicidal capsules, schizocarps or nuts.
Pollination[edit]
Self-pollination is often avoided by means of protandry. Most species are entomophilous (pollinated
by insects). Bees from the Emphorinitribe of the Apidae (including Ptilothrix, Diadasia, and Melitoma)
are known to specialize on the plants.

Importance[edit]
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.

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