22. Eremalche Greene, Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 208. 1906.
Desert mallow [Greek eremia, desert, and alkea, mallow, alluding to habitat] Desert mallow [Greek eremia, desert, and alkea, mallow, alluding to habitat]
David M. Bates
Malvastrum A. Gray subsect. Pedunculosa A. Gray in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(1,2): 308. 1897
Herbs, annual, sometimes gynodioecious. Stems prostrate to erect, sparsely to densely hairy. Leaves: stipules caducous, subulate; blade reniform-round, unlobed or palmately 3-, 5-, [7-]cleft, base truncate to cordate, margins usually toothed, sometimes entire. Inflorescences axillary, solitary flowers in lower axils, congested and ± corymbose at branch tips; involucellar bractlets persistent, 3, distinct. Flowers: calyx not accrescent, not inflated, lobed to beyond middle, lobes not ribbed, acuminate; corolla campanulate, white to rose, lavender, or mauve, drying purple or blue; staminal column included; ovary 9–36-carpellate; ovules 1 per carpel; styles 9–36-branched (branches equal in number to carpels); stigmas terminal, capitate. Fruits schizocarps, oblique, not inflated, depressed-discoid, edge corrugate or reticulate, glabrous; mericarps 9–36, drying black, 1-celled, without spur, ± spheric, unarmed, lateral walls ± disintegrated, indehiscent. Seeds ascending, 1 per mericarp, black, obovoid-reniform, glabrous. x = 10.
Species 3 (3 in the flora): sw United States, nw Mexico.
