MALVA läti. Gen. PL M onade l ph ia P o l ya n d r iA. . . _ ' .
1 Cal. duplex« exterior triphyllus, ( Arilli plurimi, monolpermi.
Rail Syn. Gen- 15. H e r b® semine nüdo polysperm®’. _ • _
Mr a t •yA mofchata caule ere£to, foliis tadicalibus leniformibus incifis; caulinis quinquepartitis pinnato-
multifidis-. Lin. Syfi. Vegetab. p;. 523-. Spec. PL 'P- 9'71* Fl.Suec.n. 629. _
MALVA foliis radicalibus reniförmibus, incifis* cäulinis, quinquepartitis pmnatis, pinms dentatis;
Haller■. Hißy n. 1072. ,
MALVA Mofchata. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 861. .
MALVA montana five Alcea rofundifplia laciniata. Col. Ecphn i . p; 14°* L 14/»
ALCEA folio rotiindo laciniato. Battb. Pin. 316.
ALCEA tenuifolia crifpa. I. B. II. App. 1067. Ran Syn-. p. 253» Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 308.
Lightfoot FI. Scot-, p; 376.
ï i n ï x Derennis albida, fublignofa, difficillime qruta. J ROOT perennial* whitifh, fomewhat woody, and with
■ Musi-a-r * difficulty pulled up-.
IS‘ . exuna radice caules nafcuntur plurimi, bipe-§ STA LK : From one root arife feveral ftalks* about two
■ dales fubereai, ramofi, teretes, fiftulofi, hit-- f Feet high, nearly upright, branched, round,
futi puhflis purpureis profflinulis adfperfi, e j hollow* hirfute, fpnnkled with purple proquibus
pill pfodeunt. | mineitt points, From which the hairs ,Hue.
Irni TA alterna petiolata, inFeriora plerumque fex par- | LEAVES alternate, Handing on foot-ftalks, the lower
I tita laciniis pinnatifidis, multifido-laciuiatis,* ones: generally deeply divided into GxFegments,
hiriutulis, apice fubacufis, fuperiora brevius | which are pihnatifid and fub-divided into many
petiolata, in pauciores et tenuiores laciniasf Others* fligbtly hirfute* and pointed at thé
I tips-, the upper ones Handing on morter foot-
% ftalks* and divided into fewer and narrower
I fegments. - ■ >.'
I tIPULiE utrinque bin*, erefte, landediataê, hiffuts, ? ST IPU LE two oh each fide, upright, lanceolate, K
I margin* undulatse. | wayed on the edge. I ,
»LORES magni, W carneii J FLOWERS large, fhowy^ and flelh-coloured.
REDUNCULI unciales* teretes, pilofi* | FLOWER-STALKS an inch iii length, roüiid and
I , hairy.
KALYX: P e r iA n t Hiu m duplex* inferius, triphyllum, ! CALYX: a doubleP e r ia n t h iu r I , thelowermoft com-
foliolis lanceolatis, fuperius quinquefidum, f pofed of three lanceolate leaves, the upperovato
acutum, fiepe laciniatum, pun&atum, ¥ mofi: divided into five fegments, ovate and
hirfutum, margine férrato glandulofutrn..jig. 1 .1 pointed* often jagged, dotted, hirfute, thé
I edge ferrated with fmall glands, fig. I.
KOROLLA: P e t a l a quinqüe, fubtriangularia, carnea, | COROLLA: five P e t a l s , fomewhat triangular, fleffi-
venis faturatioribus ramofis notata, apice fub- ^ coloured, marked with branched veihs Of d
truncata, eröfa, ball albida, margine utrinque? deeper colour* fomewhat truncated with <1
ciliata. fi*. 2. I piece bit out at top, at bottoifi whitifh, with
I the édge fringed oil each fide with hairsi fig. 2;
R5TAMINA: F i l a m e n t a plurima, in tubum cylindra-| STAMINA : F i l a m e n t s numerous, forming a whitifh
ceum* albidum, pilofum coalita, fuperne li- | hairy cylindrical tube* loofe at top, and bendbera,
reflexa. A n t h e r .® primum reniforraes, | ing back. A n t h e r® at firft kidney-fhaped
came®, dein purpureas, demum casrulefcentes. sp and flefh-coloured, then purple, and laftly
P o llen album, globofum. fig. 3. | blueifh. P o l l e n white and globular fig. 3.
»ISTILLUM: G e r m in a plurima, in orbem difpofita, | PISTILLUM: G e r m in a numerous,circularly difpofed,
flavefcentia ; St y l i plurimi, ruberrimi, fili-? of a yellowifh colour, S t y l e s numerous, of
formes, ad unum latus pilofi, pblline plerum-1 a bright red colour, thread-fhaped, hairy oil
que obdudti. S t i g m a T a fimplicia. fig. 5. t one fide, dnd generally covered with pollen*
? S t i g m a t a fimple; fig. 5:
■ The plant here figured has been, and is Hill, coufidered by fiiöft Ënglifh Botaiiifts as the Firvain Mallow: there
Bs little doubt but it is the plant which R a y confidered as the Alcea vulgaris major of C. B a u h in e , in which idea
R e was moft probably miftaken, as it accords better with the Alcea rotundifolia laciniata of that author. Be this
Rs it may, it certainly is not the Malva Alcea of L in n ®us , which Mr. H u d so n makes a native of this country;
Rnd which, he fays, grows wild in Wartsnckfiriref Léicefierjhire, and Nottinghamjhire.
I At the fame timethat L in n ®us has very propefly made two diftinft fpecies Of thefe plants* he has been rather
Rnfortunate in the parts he has%fele£ted for their dlfcrimination.
H Taking for granted that Mr. H udson has good authority for what he afferts ^although the counties he fpecifies are
Rot particularly mentioned by R a y ) it appears, that the Mofchata is a general, the Alcea a local plant; the
Rormer I have found in moft of the counties I have vifited, and Mr, L ig h t f o o t mentions it as growing in
Rootland; the latter I have never feen wild, but have occafionally obferved it in fome of the gardens about London i
Bnd laft year, having an opportunity of cultivating it in my own, I was agreeably furprized, to find that it afforded
Haany obvious and fatisfa&ory diftin&ións, the moft ftriking of which 1 fhall enumerate, for the gratification of
■ lie Englifh Botanift.
■ The Malva Alcea grew to nearly twice the height of the Mofchata, whence it agrees with Bauhine's name of
mjajor. It was in every refpe<ft a ftronger plant, and harfher to the touch; the leaves of the ftalk were much lefs
■ fgged; the flowers in both were pretty fimilar, both in fliape, fize, and colour; but the calyces differed
■ ■ emarkably. In the Mofchata the lowermoft fet of leaves' were lanceolate, fometimes almoft linear; in the
mdlcea they were ovate; added to this, the calyx of the Alcea, near its bafe, had a large protuberant annulus
B ° r which was entirely wanting in the Mofchata. Thefe charaifters of the calyx alone will, it is prefumed,
® verbe found fufficient to diftinguilh the two plants when in flower; befides thefe, the Mofchata drawn through
■ fe hand has the peculiar property of communicating a ftrong fmell of muflc, whence its name.
r°m this relation thofe Botanifts, refident in the counties above mentioned, will be better
enabled to judge
^ R r!,rler tbey h^ve the true Malva Alcea at not.
■ ™°Jchata grows, very plentifully in the neighbourhood of Coomb Wood, and flowers in June and July.
jj° Particular virtues or ufes are attributed to this fpecies; but its beauty entitles it to a place in the garden,
nees refort much to it.