Family-MALVACEAE

BOTANY
Habit –Annual, biennial, herb, shrub or tree.
Root –Tap root system, branched.
Stem –Erect, branched, cylindrical, usually mucilaginous.
Leaf –Stipulate, alternate, simple, reticulate, entire or lobed, reticulate venation.
Inflorescence –Solitary axillary or terminal racemose or helicoid cyme.
Flower –Bracteate or ebracteate, pedicellate, hermaphrodite, complete, hypogynous, actinomorphic,
pentamerous.
Epicaylax – 5-7 free, green linear.
Calyx –Sepals 5, basally connate or polysepalous, valvate aestivation, usually epicalyx present.
Corolla –petals 5, polypetalous but basally fused with staminal tube, twisted aestivation, showy.
Androecium –Numerous stamens, monadelphous, filaments fused to form a staminal tube, anther lobes
unilocular (monothecous), basifixed.
Gynoecium –Pentacarpellary or multicarpellary, syncarpous, superior ovary, axile placentation, 1-many
ovules in each locule, style passes through staminal tube branching into five branches.
Fruit –Dry loculicidal capsule.
Floral formula –
Economic importance
(A) Plants used as food:
1. Gossypium sp.—The oil extracted from its seeds, is used in preparing; Vegetable ghee. Residual part of
seeds is used as cake for cattle
2. Abelmoschus esculentus– (Hindi–Bhindi) Fruits are used as vegetables.
(B) Plants used in medicine :
1. Urena rependa–Juice extracted from root and bark is used in hydrophobia
(C) Fibre yielding plants :
1. Gossypium sp.–Fibres of scedcoat are used in textile industry. Important species of cotton are
G. arboreum,.
2. Hibiscus cannabinus – Madras hemp.
(D) Ornamental plants :
1. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (China rose) = (Hindi—Gurh
2. Althea rosea.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (China rose—GURHAL) (Fig. 1)

Systematic position
Division – Angiospermae
Class – Dicotyledonae
Subclass – Polypetalae
Series – Thalamiflorae
Order – Malvales
Family – Malvaceae
 Notes

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