Malva Linn., Sp. Pl. 687. 1753. Gen .Pl .ed.5 .308 .1754; Boiss., Fl. Or. 1:320.1874; Hutch., Gen. Fl. Pl. 2:552.1967.
Annual to perennial, glabrous or hairy, erect or prostrate to decumbent herbs or undershrubs. Leaves petiolate, stipulate, with or without lobes. Flowers axillary, solitary or fascicled, rarely in terminal raceme. Epicalyx segments 3, free, linear to ovate. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5, notched, obovate or oblong-obovate. Staminal column included, glabrous or hairy. Carpels 8-15; ovary as many loculed as the number of carpels, each locule 1-ovuled; style free. Fruit small, discoid; mericarps reticulately veined or smooth, glabrous or pubescent, 1-seeded. Seeds usually glabrous; embryo curved; generally non endospermic.
A genus with over 100 species, native of Europe, Asia and Africa. Many species are naturalized in America, Australia and New Zealand. In Pakistan it is represented by 11 taxa, both cultivated and wild.
Doubtful species
Malva waziristanensis Blatt., in J. Ind. Bot. 9:202.1930.
Blatter described this species from a specimen collected by Fernandez at Miran Shah, N.Waziristan. Presumeably F.493 should have been present at Bombay. The Director, kindly informed that this specimen was probably lost.
Excluded species
Stewart (Ann. Cat. Vas. Pl. W.Pak. & Kashm. 481. 1972) mentions that Malva pusila Sm. is of doubtful occurrence. He has cited Stocks 582 under this species. This specimen, available at Kew, belongs to Malva nicaeensis All.
