The Malvales are an order of flowering plants. As circumscribed by APG II-system, the order includes about 6000 species within 9 families. The order is placed in the eurosids II, which are part of the eudicots.
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ornamentals, such as Alcea (hollyhock), Malva (mallow) and Lavatera, as well as Tilia. The largest genera in terms of number of species include Hibiscus, Sterculia, Dombeya, Pavonia and Sida.
Bombacaceae were long recognised as a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae. The family name was based on the type genus Bombax. As is true for many botanical names, circumscription and status of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view, and currently the preference is to transfer most of the erstwhile family Bombacaceae to the subfamily Bombacoideae within the family Malvaceae in the order Malvales. The rest of the family were transferred to other taxa, notably the new family Durionaceae. Irrespective of current taxonomic status, many of the species originally included in the Bombacaceae are of considerable ecological, historical, horticultural, and economic importance, such as balsa, kapok, baobab and durian.
Tiliaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. It is not a part of the APG, APG II and APG III classifications, being sunk in Malvaceae as a modified Tilioideae but has an extensive historical record of use.
Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plants based on the Genus Sterculia. Genera are now placed in the Family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae.
Lavatera is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Macaronesia, North Africa, Europe, central and southwestern Asia, Ethiopia, North America and Australia, with a centre of distribution in the Mediterranean region. A number of species are naturalized in North America and elsewhere.
Pterospermum is a flowering plant genus. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. Pterospermum is based on two Greek words, "Pteron" and "Sperma," meaning "winged seed."
Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895.
Pavonia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The generic name honours Spanish botanist José Antonio Pavón Jiménez (1754–1844), as chosen by his contemporary, Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles. Several species are known as swampmallows.
Alyogyne is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae which are endemic to Australia. Its species were formerly in the genus Hibiscus but were split off starting in 1863 with H. hakaeifolius. In 1915 Lewton transferred H. cuneiformis and in Fryxell (1968) H. pinonianus and H. huegelii followed. A recent revision has created many new species.
Lagunaria is a monotypic genus in the family Malvaceae. It is an Australian plant which is native to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and parts of coastal Queensland. It has been introduced to many parts of the world. The genus was named for its resemblance to the earlier genus Laguna Cav., which was named in honour of Andrés Laguna, a Spanish botanist and a physician to Pope Julius III.
Eriolaena is a genus of flowering plants. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included now in the recently expanded Malvaceae. The genus is distributed in Asia.
Hampea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. They are trees native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are about 21 species.
Hildegardia is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae. In older systems of classification, it was placed in Sterculiaceae, but all members of that family are now in an expanded Malvaceae. The genus is named for Saint Hildegard of Bingen due to her contributions to herbal medicine. There are 13 species with a pantropical distribution.
Malacothamnus (bush-mallow) is a genus of shrubs and subshrubs found throughout much of mainland California and on three of the Channel Islands. Outside of California, Malacothamnus is known from the northern half of Baja California, from a disjunct location in central Arizona, and possibly from a historic location that may have been in southern Arizona or adjacent Mexico. Plants of this genus are most commonly found in early-successional, post-burn plant communities.Malacothamnus are currently thought to be most closely related to the Iliamnas of the US interior and the Phymosias of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Gossypieae is a tribe of the flowering plant subfamily Malvoideae. It includes the cotton (Gossypium) and related plants. It is distinguished from the Hibisceae on the basis of embryo structure and its apparently unique possession of glands able to synthesize the pigment gossypol.
Talipariti is a genus of plants in the mallow family Malvaceae. It consists of 22 species, which are exclusively tropical except for one species whose range extends into temperate areas of Japan and Korea. Some authors treat these species as part of the genus Hibiscus, in which case they form the section Hibiscus sect. Azanza.
Malacothamnus palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Cambria bushmallow and Palmer’s bushmallow. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Duboscia macrocarpa occurs from Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a tree which grows to 30 m, and often has a fluted trunk. The leaves and young stems are covered in dense hairs. The flowers are pink-reddish brown, with bracts below. The fruits are ribbed and very fibrous.
Thomas Henry Kearney was an American botanist and agronomist known for his work on cotton and date palm breeding, plant taxonomy, and the flora of Arizona.
