Malva pusilla Sm.

Malva species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs or undershrubs. Stems erect or procumbent, branches pubescent or glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, 3-7 palmately lobed or parted, suborbicular to reniform, base truncate to cordate, margins crenate-dentate or entire, apex acute to acuminate, petiolate, stipules linear lanceolate-ovate, persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or fascicled, rarely terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, persistent, epicalyx 3, base connate or free, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit, persistent, corolla showy and large, yellow, white, red, orange, purple, red, blue and dark colored at the base, apex notched to emarginate. Staminal column, base wide, filaments, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-15 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style usually equal to number of carpels, stigmas on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, mericarps 9-15, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, smooth, glabrous or hairy.

Malva species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: May—December.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual, or sometimes biennial or perennial herbs, trailing or ascending, about 0.3-1 m tall. Stems, branches sparsely pubescent with simple and stellate hairs, later becoming glabrescent. Leaves alternate, simple, 5-7 shallow palmately lobed, suborbicular to reniform, about 1.5-5 x 1.5-5 cm across, base truncate to cordate, 5-7 veined, margins crenate-dentate, lobes semicircular to oblong, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous or sparsely pubescent both above and beneath, petiole twice or thrice as long as lamina, about 3-15 cm long, stipules triangular-ovate, persistent, about 3-6 x 2-3 mm across. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or 2-10 fascicled compactly. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, pubescent with simple and stellate hairs, unequal in length in a fascicle, about 0.3-0.5 cm long and elongated in fruit about 1-2.5 cm long, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, linear lanceolate, veined reticulately, margins entire, puberulent with stellate and simple hairs on both sides, persistent, epicalyx 3, ovate, margin ciliate with simple hairs, later glabrous, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, base connate till middle, margins ciliate with stellate and simple hairs, apex acute, spreading in fruit, persistent, corolla showy, pale pink or whitish, petals obovate. Staminal column, densely stellate hairy, about 1-1.5 mm long, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-11 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style 10-11 branched, stigmas 10-11, on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, about 5-7 mm across, mericarps 10-11, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, about 1-1.5 mm across, brownish black.

Malva species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Cultivated in gardens.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental. Remarks: This is included as a doubtful species in Fl. India 3: 367. 1993