| Malva acerifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Malva |
| Species: | M. acerifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Malva acerifolia | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
Malva acerifolia, also frequently known under the synonyms Lavatera acerifolia or Malva canariensis is a shrub endemic to the Canary Islands, belonging to the family Malvaceae. [4]
The species was first described in 1803 in the genus Lavatera by Antonio José Cavanilles as Lavatera acerifolia. [5] It was transferred to Malva by Friedrich Alefeld in 1862, [6] [7] although this was not accepted by most other botanists until much later. [8] In 1842, the name "Malva acerifolia" had been mentioned by Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers in relation to a quite different North American species that Walpers called Sphaeralcea acerifolia (now Iliamna rivularis ). On this basis, in 1998, Martin Forbes Ray published the replacement name Malva canariensis. [8] Although this is regarded as the correct name by some sources, [2] the International Plant Names Index treats Walpers' Malva acerifolia as erroneous so that the replacement name is unnecessary and hence superfluous and illegitimate. [3]
The Latin name acerifolia means 'maple-leaved'. [9]
Two varieties are recognised: the nominate form which is found on the western islands, and M. acerifolia var. hariensis Svent. found on the eastern islands. [9]
It has been called Canary tree mallow in English. [10] It is known as malva de risco in Spanish, [10] [11] which translates as 'cliff mallow'. [12]
This plant is a small tree or shrub, which will grow to approximately 5 ft. high in three or four years in cultivated. [5] It can grow up to three metres in its native land. [11] It is easily recognisable in situ by means of its large flowers. [9] The branches are alternate, and the bark becomes ashy-coloured on older specimens. The leaves are also alternate. They are four to five inches in the first year, but then decrease in size to two to three in the following years, always being smaller than their petioles. [5] The leaves have a palmately lobed shape, [9] with five to seven, lanceolate, supple lobes, without teeth on their margins, each lobe with a corresponding vein down its centre leading to the base of the leaf. The stipules are awl-shaped. [5]
The flowers are axillary and solitary, with somewhat bent peduncles, these being always much longer than the leaf petioles. The calyx is glabrous; the corolla is some three inches in diameter, and has five petals (sometimes a petal may be undeveloped) which become broader towards the end. Cavanilles describes the petals as coloured light pink, with dark purple streaks near the base, and the undersides white. [5] They have also been described as a very pallid lilac, almost white, with the base of the petals a more darker colour. [9] The styles of the pistils and filaments of the stamens are bundled together like a column and are coloured purple. The pollen is globose and depressed in shape. There is one seed per locule, these are arranged in a wheel, with the number of seeds corresponding to the number of the stigmas, [5] twelve to fifteen. [10]
The shrub was first collected by the French biologist Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet on the island of Tenerife during his sojourn there at the turn of the 18th century. Broussonet was unable to complete his planned work on the flora of the island, but he sent a number of seeds to his friend Cavanilles, who described the species from plants grown from these seeds in his gardens. [5]
The nominate variety occurs on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Gomera, La Palma in the west of the archipelago; [9] the variety hariensis occurs on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in the east. [13] El Hierro is the only island in the archipelago where the species does not occur. [10] [13]
This species arrived in the Canary Islands from a Mediterranean origin and it is more recent than the other endemics to the islands, such as Lavatera phoenicea , which colonized the islands earlier and independently from Malva acerifolia. Its closest relative is not known as there is some incongruence between chloroplast and nuclear molecular markers.[ citation needed ]
It grows in the lower elevations of these islands, in dry, sunny locations.[ citation needed ] It is found growing on cliffs and in rocky scrubland. [11] It is a somewhat ruderal species, preferring nitrogen-rich soils, especially on disturbed ground or abandoned farmland.[ citation needed ]
It is pollinated by insects, especially by bees.[ citation needed ]
It makes a good fodder for livestock. In some parts of the Canary Islands these shrubs were traditionally cultivated as an ornamental in rural areas, but it is now found planted in urban gardens on the islands, valued for the attractive flowers, rapid growth and ease of cultivation. [11]
Legally, the regional government declared the species to be a "protected plant" in 1991 and the populations on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were listed in the 2001 Catálogo de Especies Amenazadas de Canarias; these laws were effectively repealed with the passing of the 2010 Catálogo Canario de Especies Protegidas, in which only the variety hariensis was included with the status of endangered. It has not been assessed by the IUCN. [9] [13]
The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The archipelago is economically and politically European and is part of the European Union.
Malva is a genus of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Europe.
Phoenix canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands. It is a relative of Phoenix dactylifera, the true date palm. It is the natural symbol of the Canary Islands, together with the canary Serinus canaria. Mature P. canariensis are often used in ornamental landscaping and are collected and transplanted to their new planting location. A Canary Island date palm with 10 m (30 ft) of trunk is approximately 60 years of age.
Malva phoenicea, often still known under the synonyms Lavatera phoenicea and Navaea phoenicea, is a large shrub of the family Malvaceae and tribe Malveae, endemic to the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Malva assurgentiflora, formerly classified as Lavatera assurgentiflora, the island mallow, mission mallow, royal mallow, malva rosa island mallow, island tree mallow or malva rosa in Spanish, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family.
The African blue tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in northern Africa and the Canary Islands. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. This species and the Eurasian blue tit were formerly considered conspecific. The status of this species has not been assessed because it is noted to be common on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The species has been used in many research studies due to its island populations and relevance to evolutionary hypotheses.
The Canarian shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the Canary Islands, specifically the eastern islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Lobos, and Mount Clara. It used to be found on Graciosa, Canary Islands and Alegranza. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Arbutus canariensis, known in Spanish as madroño canario, is a species of shrub or tree in the heath family. It is endemic to the Canary Islands of Spain, specifically Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, and La Palma. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Malva arborea, the tree mallow, is a species of mallow native to the coasts of western Europe and the Mediterranean region, from Ireland and Britain south to Algeria and Libya, and east to Greece.
Malva preissiana, the Australian hollyhock or native hollyhock, is a herbaceous perennial in the family Malvaceae, found in all Australian states.
Euphorbia canariensis, commonly known as the Canary Island spurge, Hercules club or in Spanish cardón, is a succulent member of the genus Euphorbia and family Euphorbiaceae endemic to the Canary Islands. It is the plant symbol of the island of Gran Canaria.
Hypericum canariense is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae known by the common name Canary Islands St. John's wort. It is the sole member of Hypericumsect. Webbia.
Malva multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Cornish mallow and Cretan hollyhock. It is native to western Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin, and it is naturalized in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as parts of Australia, South Africa, and California. This is an annual or biennial herb growing a tough, somewhat hairy stem to a maximum height between 1 and 3 meters. The leaves are multilobed with flat or wavy edges, slightly hairy, and up to 10 centimeters long. The plant bears small pink or light purple flowers with petals just over a centimeter long. The fruit is disc-shaped with 7 to 10 segments.
Bystropogon is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Allied to the Origanum and Thymus, the genus is characterized by tiny flowers in much-branched clusters, with plume-like sepals that elongate at the fruiting stage, giving the whole tip of each branch a fuzzy appearance. Stems are square in cross-section and leaves, arranged in opposite pairs, are aromatic when crushed.
Geranium reuteri, the giant geranium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to the Canary Islands. It was known for many years under the name Geranium canariense. In Spanish, it is called pata de gallo.
Dialectica hedemanni is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the Canary Islands and Madeira.
The Tenerife giant tortoise is an extinct species of cryptodire turtle in the family Testudinidae endemic to the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands.
Periploca laevigata is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the Canary Islands, the Savage Islands and Cape Verde.
Euphorbia lamarckii is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the western Canary Islands. It resembles Euphorbia regis-jubae, with which it has been confused. Both have been called Euphorbia obtusifolia.
Euphorbia regis-jubae is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the eastern Canary Islands, western Morocco, north-western Western Sahara. In Spanish, it is known as tabaiba morisca. It has often been confused with Euphorbia lamarckii.