The document summarizes key characteristics of the plant family Malvaceae. It notes that Malvaceae consists of 250 genera and 4230 species of mostly hermaphroditic trees, shrubs and herbs. It describes features of the leaves, inflorescences, flowers, perianth, calyx, corolla, stamens, anthers, pollen, gynoecium, styles, placentation, nectaries, fruits, and seeds. Finally, it lists several economically important plants in the family, including cotton, cacao, cola, okra, durian, balsa wood, and various ornamental plants.

1. MALVACEAE
selvam G
BHARATHISAN UNIVERSITY,
TRICHY

2.  250 genera
 4230 species
 Consists of hermaphroditic, rarely monoecious or
polygamous trees, shrubs or herbs
 Often with either stellate trichomes or peltate
scales
 Eudicot

3. LEAVES
 Simple or palmately coumpound
 Sometime lobed to divided
 Palmately or pinnately veined
 Usually spiral and stipulate
 Stipules often caducous
 Caducous- falling early before associated organs
are mature

4. INFLORESCENCE
 Solitary
 Paired flower
 Cymelike
 Complex (sometimes)

5. FLOWER
 Bisexual (rarely Unisexual)
 most Actinomorphic
 Epicalyx typically present
 Hypogynous (situated below the ovary)

6. PERIANTH
 Biseriate (arranged in two rows)
 Petals alternating with sepals

7. CALYX
 Aposepalous (distinct sepals)
 Basally synsepalous (flowers with fused sepals)
 5 [less often 3 or 4]
 Valvate sepals (meeting without overlapping)

8. COROLLA
 Apopetalous (distinct, separate petals)
 Sometmes adnate to the base of an androecium
tube
 Rarely absent
 5 [3, 4]
 Clawed, convolute, valvate or imbricate petals

9. STAMEN
 5 ∞
 Filaments usually connate
 Either as tube surrounding the ovary or bundles of
stamens or a tube bearing bundles

10. ANTHERS & POLLEN
 Anther: longitudinal or poricidal (through pores)
dehiscence
 Pollen: spinulose or smooth

11. GYNOECIUM
 Syncarpous (carpels connate into single unit)
 Superior ovary
 2 ∞ carpels
 2 ∞ [1] locules

12. STYLE, PLACENTATION &NECTARIES
 Style: Unlobed, lobed or branched at apex
 Placentation: axile
 Nectaries: consists of glandular trichomes typically
present at the adaxial base of the calyx

13. FRUIT & SEEDS
Fruits:
 Loculicidal
 Septicidal
 Indehiscent capsule
 Schizocarp of mericarps
 Rarely berry or samara
Seeds:
 Exalbuminous (no endosperm) or
 Endorspermous (oily and starchy endosperm)

14. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
 Fiber Plants:
Gossypium spp. (cotton, world’s most important plant)
Ceiba pentandra (kapok)
Corchorus spp. (jute, source of burlap)
 Food and Flavoring Plants
Theobroma cacao (cacao, source of chocolate)
Cola nitida (cola)
Abelmoschus (okra)
Durio zibethinus (Durian)

15. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
 Wood
Ochroma pyramidale (balsa)
Pachira aquatica (money tree)
 Ornamental
Brachychiton
Dombeya
Fremontodendron
Hibiscus (mallows)
Tilia (linden tree)