Malvaceae, or the
mallow family, is a family of
flowering plantThe flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species.
[ Judd & al.] Well known members of this family include
okraOkra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
,
juteJute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
and cacao. The largest genera in terms of number of species include
HibiscusHibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
(300 species),
SterculiaSterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It was previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts...
(250 species),
DombeyaDombeya is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. These plants are known by a number of vernacular names which sometimes, misleadingly, allude to the superficial similarity of...
(225 species),
PavoniaPavonia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The generic name honours Spanish botanist José Antonio Pavón Jiménez .-Selected species:* Pavonia arabica Hochst. & Steud. ex Boiss....
(200 species) and
Sida (200 species).
Taxonomy
The circumscription of the Malvaceae is very controversial. The traditional Malvaceae
sensu stricto comprises 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 that the commonly recognised families
BombacaceaeBombacaceae is a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae included within Malvales order. As is true for any botanical name, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view...
,
TiliaceaeTiliaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family is not part of APG II, but it is found all through the botanical literature and remains prominently listed by nomenclatural databases such as IPNI....
, and
SterculiaceaeSterculiaceae is a botanical name for a group of flowering plants at the rank of family, which is now considered obsolete. As is true for any botanical name, the circumscription, status and placement of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view...
, which have always been considered closely allied to Malvaceae
s.s., are not monophyletic groups. Thus the Malvaceae can be been expanded to include all of these families so as to compose a monophyletic group. Adopting this circumscription, Malvaceae incorporates a much larger number of genera.
This article is based on the second circumscription, as presented by the
Angiosperm Phylogeny WebsiteAngiosperm Phylogeny Website is a well-known web site dedicated to research on Angiosperm phylogeny and taxonomy.The site is hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden website and maintained by researcher Peter F. Stevens, who is a member of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group...
.
[ Angiosperm Phylogeny 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%).
It is important to point out the relationships between these subfamilies are still either poorly supported or almost completely obscure, so that 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
MalvoideaeMalvoideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, which includes in the minimum the genus Malva. It was first used by Burnett in 1835, but was not much used until recently, where, within the framework of the APG System, which unites the families Malvaceae, Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae and...
, the subfamily that approximately corresponds to that group.
Description
Most species are
herbExcept in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s or
shrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s but some are
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s and
lianaA liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s.
Leaves and stems
LeavesA leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are generally
alternateIn botany, phyllotaxis or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem .- Pattern structure :...
, 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
stemA stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s contain mucous canals and often also mucous cavities. Hairs are common, and are most typically
stellateStellate, meaning star-shaped, may refer to:* Stellate cell* Stellate ganglion* Stellate reticulum* Stellate veins* Stellate trichomes on plants* Stellate laceration or incisionWound#Open...
.
Flowers
The flowers are commonly borne in definite or indefinite axillary
inflorescenceAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s, which are often reduced to a single flower, but may also be cauliflorous, oppositifolious or terminal. They often bear supernumerary
bractIn botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. They can be unisexual or bisexual and are generally actinomorphic, often associated with conspicuous bracts, forming an epicalyx. They generally have five valvate
sepalA sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s, most frequently basally
connateConnate may refer to* conjoined twins* connation, in botany...
. Five imbricate
petalPetals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s. The
stamenThe stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are five to numerous, 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. Capitate or lobed stigma.
The flowers have nectaries made of many tightly packed glandular
hairsTrichomes are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae.- Algal trichomes :...
, usually positioned on the sepals.
Fruits
Most often a loculicidal
capsuleIn botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
, a
schizocarpA schizocarp is a dry fruit that develops from multiple carpels. When mature it splits up into mericarps. Mericarps are often 1-seeded as in, for example, Malva, Malvastrum, and Sida...
or
nutA nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
.
Pollination
Self pollination is often avoided by means of protandry. Most species are entomophilous (pollinated by insects).
Importance
A number of species are pests in
agricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, including
Abutilon theophrastiAbutilon theophrasti is an annual plant in the family Malvaceae, native to southern Asia. It grows to 1 m tall, and has velvet-like heart-shaped leaves 15–25 cm broad...
and
Modiola carolinianaModiola is a monotypic genus of plants in the mallow family containing the single species Modiola caroliniana, which is known by several common names, including Carolina bristlemallow, babosilla, and redflower mallow...
, and others that are garden escapes.
CottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
(4 species of
GossypiumGossypium is the cotton genus. It belongs to the tribe Gossypieae, in the mallow family, Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions from both the Old and New World. The genus Gossypium comprises around 50 species , making it the largest in species number in the tribe Gosssypioieae....
),
kenafKenaf [Etymology: Persian], Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the Malvaceae family. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is probably native to southern Asia, though its exact natural origin is unknown. The name also applies to the fibre obtained from this plant...
(
Hibiscus cannabinus), cacao,
kola nutKola Nut is the nut of the kola tree, a genus of trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae . It is related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa...
and
okraOkra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
(
Abelmoschus esculentus) are important agricultural crops. The fruit and leaves of
baobabAdansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
s are edible, as is the fruit of the
durianThe durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
.
External links