Malva verticillata L.

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: August—February.

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 perennial herbs, about 0.3-1.2 m tall. Stems erect, slender, branches pubescent with simple and stellate hairs when young, later becoming glabrescent. Leaves alternate, simple, 3-7 palmately lobed, suborbicular, about 3-12 x 2-11 cm across, base cordate, 5-7 veined, margins crenate-dentate, lobes linear lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse, sparsely to densely pubescent both above and beneath, becoming glabrescent ultimately, petiole, pubescent becoming glabrescent ultimately, about 1.5-15 cm long, stipules lanceolate-ovate, persistent, about 3-6 x 2-4 mm across. Inflorescence usually axillary more than 5 in compact fascicles. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, usually equal in each fascicle, about 2-3 mm long, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, oblong-lanceolate, veined reticulately persistent, epicalyx 3, linear, not adnate, with simple hairs, about 3-4 mm long, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, base connate till middle, margins ciliate with stiff and simple hairs, glabrous at base inside, dense along margins and sometimes at the centre, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit up to 15 mm long, corolla showy, purplish, blue, petals obovate, glabrous, about 7-8 mm long. Staminal column, densely stellate hairy, about 3-4 mm long, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-12 carpellate, discoid, ovules 1 per locule, style 10-12 branched, stigmas 10-12, on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, about 7 mm across, mericarps 10-12, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, about 1.5-2 mm across, reticulate, glabrous, brownish black.

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

Notes: Western Ghats, High Altitude, Weed of cultivation

Cultivated as ornamental in gardens, occasionally found as an escape.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental. Young stems, leaves used as vegetable and dried leaf ash used in folk medicine.