Lavatera punctata

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Malvales

Familia: Malvaceae
Subfamilia: Malvoideae
Tribus: Malveae
Genus: Lavatera
Species: Lavatera punctata
Name

Lavatera punctata All.
References

Allioni, C. Auctuarium ad Floram Pedemontanam cum notis et emendationibus 26. 1789
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Lavatera punctata in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: Spotted Stalked Tree Mallow, Annual Tree Mallow

Malva punctata (syn. Lavatera punctata), commonly called spotted-stalked tree-mallow[1] or annual tree mallow, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Malva of the family Malvaceae.

Description
Malva punctata reaches on average 20–90 cm (7.9–35.4 in) of height. The stem is erect and covered with scattered hairs. The leaves are alternate, trilobed with the central lobe larger than the others, petiolate with stipules, the lowest are kidney-shaped and slightly lobed, while the upper ones are pentagonal. The flowers grow in the axils of the leaves. Calyx is campanulate, five-lobed, with five triangular pink petals with purple veins, of about 15–3 centimetres (5.9–1.2 in), three times longer than the calyx. The flowering period extends from May through June.

Distribution

Plant of western Mediterranean origin is distributed from the South of France and Italy to Albania, Greece, Palestine, Israel, Asia Minor and Turkey.
Habitat

These plants grow at an altitude of 0–600 metres (0–1,969 ft) above sea level. They prefer rocky soils in sunny areas and fallow fields, hedgerows, beds of streams and road margins.
References

BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia - Edagricole – 1982 – Vol. II, pg. 89
Lavatera punctata