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Malvaceæ

The elaboration of this order for the Synoptical Flora of North America brings out several points which need to be noticed. The general lines of the arrangement proposed in Genera Fl. Am. Bor.-Or. Illustrata are found to hold. But the tribe Malveæ must have its subtribes reduced to two [1], allowing the Sideæ to include all the genera with capitate stigmas; the numbers of ovules and seeds, whether one, two, or three, being quite incidental and variable. The first division of the Sideæ will be characterised by the reniform seeds with incurved embryo, at least the lower seed with inferior radicle (Malvastrum, Sphæralcea, Meliphlea, Modiola); the second, by the turgid seeds with more conduplicate embryo, the ovules when one or two resupinate-pendulous and the radicle superior (Sida, Anoda, Wissadula, Abutilon, &c).

[1] Professor Gray was correct on this point, the number of seeds per locule not being a good taxonomic character within genera allied to Sida and Abutilon. (It seems to me that reduction of the number of seeds per locule to one has occurred in several lineages in Malveae.) However, like most students of this tribe he was incorrect in placing his "first division of the Sideæ" within this clade; in Malveae pendulous ovules are a more "important" character than capitate stigmas, and Sphaeralcea etc., fall in Malvinae. Note that the clade containing Abutilon and Sida is more often referred to as Abutilinae, or when ranked as a tribe (or in old works) as Abutileae.

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