Flora of North America species comparison

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Malva assurgentiflora

island mallow, malva rosa
Habit Shrubs, 1–4 m, stellate-hairy to glabrate.
Stems

erect to decumbent, base woody.
Leaves

stipules early-deciduous, lanceolate to ovate, 2–4 × 0.6–1.5 mm, minutely stellate-puberulent;

petiole as long as or longer than blade;

blade free filaments 1–2 mm;

anthers on distal 1/2;

style 6–10-branched (same number as locules), purplish;

stigmas 6–10 (same number as locules), purplish.
Seeds

dark brown, 4 mm, nearly as thick as long, notch slight.
Schizocarps

12–16 mm diam.;

mericarps 6–10, 6–7 mm, apical face and margins sharp-edged, surfaces smooth to faintly ribbed, glabrous or puberulent on apical surface.
2n

= ca. 40.

Malva assurgentiflora
Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun and Sep–Oct, sporadically year-round.
Habitat Coastal bluffs, disturbed areas
Elevation 0–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA [Introduced in Mexico, Central America (Guatemala), South America (Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Malva assurgentiflora, traditionally placed in Lavatera, has long been cultivated as an ornamental or windbreak in California and is native only on the Channel Islands. It has become naturalized on the mainland as well as in Mexico and sparingly elsewhere. The shrubby habit, large flowers with dark-veined petals, and thick, hemispheric, fruits make it distinctive; it is our only native species of Malva. The petals are often recurved with age, and the corky mericarps float and are tolerant of salt water. Further study may indicate that there are two distinct subspecies, as suggested by R. N. Philbrick (1980).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 288.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malva
Sibling taxa
M. alcea, M. arborea, M. moschata, M. neglecta, M. nicaeensis, M. parviflora, M. pseudolavatera, M. pusilla, M. sylvestris, M. verticillata
Synonyms Lavatera assurgentiflora, L. assurgentiflora subsp. glabra, Saviniona assurgentiflora, S. clementina, S. reticulata
Name authority (Kellogg) M. F. Ray: Novon 8: 290. (1998)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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