Annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, rarely trees or woody climbers (Hibiscus scandens Roxb.). Stems usually fibrous with mucilaginous sap; bark with dilated rays. Indumentum almost always stellate-hairy or lepidote, simple hairy, sometimes also with
gland-tipped hairs. Leaves alternate, petiolate, simple, entire to variously lobed or
dissected, sometimes with extra-floral nectaries on veins beneath, stipulate. Flowers
actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual or subdioecious (Kydia), solitary, axillary or
terminal and or axillary racemes or panicles, 1- to many-flowered, sometimes disposed
in terminal racemose spikes in consequence of the upper leaves being absent, pentamerous. Calyx connate up to middle or below, lobed or rarely entire or spathaceous, lobes
valvate, sometimes with nectaries on veins outside, persistent or caducous, sometimes
accrescent, often subtended by persistent epicalyx, epicalyx segments 3 to many, free or
connate, subulate to leafy. Corolla convolute or less commonly imbricate, adnate to the
base of staminal column and falling off with it, usually the limb of petals asymmetric.
Stamens numerous, monadelphous, staminal column surrounds the ovary and style at
base, apex of staminal column 5-toothed (tribes Hibisceae and Ureneae) or entire;
anthers dorsifixed, monothecal; pollen echinate. Ovary superior, 3 -
5 or many-loculed;
ovules 1 many in each locule on axile placentation; styles as many as or twice the
number of carpels, often united, to various degree; stigmas as many as styles, more or
less distinct or almost united. Fruit a capsule or schizocarp or rarely an anomalous kind
of berry (Malvaviscus), capsules 3 to many-seeded; mericarps 1- many-seeded. Seeds
albuminous, hairy or glabrous; embryo mostly curved with a terete radicle and yellow
twisted cotyledons.
Tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the World; ca 88 genera and 2300
species; 22 genera and 93 species in India.
Literature.
ABEDIN, S. (1979). Malvaceae. In: Fl. W. Pakistan 130: 1 -
107. 1 -
24 . BORSSUM
WAALKES, J. VAN (1966). Malesian Malvaceae revised. Blumea 14: 1 -
213, ff. 1 -
21 .
PAUL, T.K. &
M.P. NAYAR (1988). Malvaceae in Fasc. Fl. India 19: 64 -
233, ff. 1 -
60.
KEY TO THE TRIBES
1a. Styles as many as carpels or styles undivided and stigmas entire
