Island mallow

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Malva
Species:
M. assurgentiflora
Binomial name
Malva assurgentiflora
(Kellogg) M.F. Ray
Synonyms[2]
  • Lavatera assurgentiflora Kellogg
  • Saviniona assurgentiflora (Kellogg) E. Greene
  • Saviniona suspensa (Kellogg) E. Greene
  • Saviniona clementina E. Greene
  • Saviniona reticulata E. Greene

Malva assurgentiflora, formerly classified as Lavatera assurgentiflora,[3] the island mallow,[2][4] mission mallow,[2] royal mallow,[2] malva rosa island mallow,[4] island tree mallow or malva rosa ('pink mallow') in Spanish,[2][4] is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family.

Description

Malva assurgentiflora is a sprawling perennial herb or bushy shrub generally exceeding a meter tall and approaching four meters in maximum height. The leaves are up to 15 centimeters long and wide and are divided into 5 to 7 toothed lobes.

The showy flowers have five dark-veined deep pink petals which are somewhat rectangular in shape and 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long. The disc-shaped fruit is divided into 6 or 8 segments each containing a seed.

Distribution

It is endemic to southern California, where it is native only to the Channel Islands. It can also be found growing as an escapee from cultivation in localised spots in coastal mainland California and Baja California, as well as sparingly in locations in Guatemala, cooler regions in mountainous or Mediterranean areas in western South America, New Zealand and Australia.[2][4]

Uses

Malva assurgentiflora has been grown in California for a very long time as an ornamental plant and as a windbreak.[4][5]

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hinsley, Stewart Robert (2004). "L. assurgentiflora". Malvaceae Info. Stewart Robert Hinsley. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. The Jepson Manual, TJM2; 2012 . accessed 6.30.2013
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Hill, Steven R. (2015). "Malva assurgentiflora (Kellogg) M. F. Ray in Malva L.". Flora of North America, Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Flora of North America Association.
  5. Jepson Manual Treatment — TJM93


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