[Sidenote: =False Mallow=
_Malvástrum Thúrberi_
=Pink
Spring, summer
California=]
A handsome shrub, from five to ten feet high, woody below, with long,
slender, wandlike branches and thick, very downy, light bluish-green
leaves. The pretty lilac-pink flowers are from one to nearly two inches
across and pleasantly scented, and the foliage is soft and pretty in
appearance, though rather harsh to the touch, its pale tones blending
harmoniously with the delicate blossoms. This is common in southern
California.
There are several kinds of Lavatera, mostly from the Old World.
[Sidenote: =Tree Mallow=
_Lavàtera assurgentiflòra_
=Pink
Spring
California=]
This was planted in the mission gardens by the Fathers and is now
common around San Francisco. It is a branching shrub, from six to
fifteen feet high, with a twisted, gray trunk and large handsome
leaves, light green and very soft and smooth to the touch, paler and
downier on the under side. The flowers are handsome and conspicuous,
two or three inches across, with bright pink petals, warm and rich in
tone, beautifully striped with maroon and shading to yellowish-white
towards the center, with a purple pistil and grayish anthers. The
flowers and seed-vessels hang on curved pedicels, like pipe-stems,
giving a rather odd effect. The leaves and twigs are very mucilaginous.
There are many kinds of Sphaeralcea, much like Malvastrum, except that
they have two or three ovules, instead of one, in each cavity of the
ovary. The name is from the Greek, meaning "globe-mallow," in allusion
to the usually roundish fruit.
[Sidenote: =Scarlet Mallow=
_Sphaerálcea pedàta_
=Red
Spring
Southwest=]
These graceful wands of brilliant bloom are very common in spring in
Arizona. The flowers are over an inch across, vivid yet delicate in
color, shading from luminous scarlet to clear pale-orange. The buds are
tipped with deeper red and the foliage is rather pale green, somewhat
hairy and downy. The stems are from one to two feet tall and bend
slightly to one side, swaying to and fro in the wind and displaying
their flaming blossoms to great advantage.
[Illustration: Salmon Globe Mallow--Sphaeralcea pedata.]
[Illustration: Tree Mallow--Lavatera assurgentiflora.