Malvaceae

Abstract

Trees, shrubs or herbs, exceptionally climbers, rarely monoecious or dioecious, usually with tufted or stellate hairs, sometimes also with simple hairs or glands, more rarely lepidote, exceptionally with prickles or spines. Leaves alternate, simple, palmately lobed, dissected, or digitately compound, rarely unifoliolate, usually clearly palmatinerved, entire to dentate, serrate or crenate; extrafloral nectaries or domatia sometimes present; petiole usually pulvinate at both ends; stipules present, exceptionally reduced. Inflorescences axillary, terminal or leaf-opposed, sometimes cauliflorous or ramiflorous, often composed of cyme-like clusters; epicalyx of 3 (rarely more) sterile bracts present in many genera. Flowers hermaphroditic or unisexual by abortion, hypogynous, usually actinomorphic, rarely somewhat zygomorphic (e.g. Helicteres) or asymmetric (e.g. Mansonia). Sepals usually 5, free or fused, sometimes incompletely separating, mostly valvate in bud, sometimes with free, spreading tips, in some genera petaloid, caducous or persistent. Petals as many as sepals, sometimes reduced or lacking, variously shaped, often contorted in bud, free or fused with bases of the stamen filaments, sometimes persistent.