Malva verticillata Linn., Sp.Pl. 689. 1753. Mast. in Hook f.,l.c. 320; Stewart in Nasir & Ali, l.c. 481.
Annual or biennial herb, 0.5-2.5 m tall. Stem green to purplish stellate hairy, glabrescent. Leaves usually orbicular, 3-23 cm long, 4-25 cm broad, cordate or subtruncate at base, upper surface with sparse simple or 2-rayed hair, glabrescent, lower with stellate simple or 2-rayed hairs, more hairy than above coarsely crenate-dentate, usually 5 lobed; stipule lanceolate, 5 mm long, c. 4 mm borad, glabrous except long ciliate margin; petiole 4-24 cm long, densely tomentose above, elsewhere glabrescent except the groove. Flowers axillary, 2-many, loose or compact; pedicel visible or not sparsely stellate hairy 3-5 (-10) mm long. Epicalyx segments linear or linear-lanceolate 3-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, glabrescent, margin ciliate. Calyx free to halfway down; sepals 5-6 mm long, 3-4 mm broad, very sparsely stellate hairy without finely reticulately veined accrescent in fruit, up to 12 mm long and 8 mm broad; lobes deltoid with long ciliate margin. Petals 7-9 mm long, purplish glabrous clawed, slightly notched. Staminal column 4.5mm long glabrous or simple hairy above, Fruit enclosed in accrescent calyx, 5-7 mm across; mericarps 10-12, glabrous, rugose on the margins, centrally grooved or smooth on the dorsal side, radially rugose, c.2 mm across in all directions. Seed dark brown-black c.1-1.5 mm long and broad, glabrous.
