Pavonia Cav.

  • Authority

    Fryxell, Paul A. 1999. Cavanilles (Malvaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 76: 1-284. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pavonia Cav.

  • Type

    Type. Pavonia paniculata Cavanilles. The generic name honors José Antonio Pavón (1754-1844) of Madrid, a physician and traveler in Peru and one of the authors of Flora Peruviana. (Non Pavonia Dombey ex Lamarck [Bor-aginaceae], Tabl. Encycl. 1: 421. 1792; nec Pavonia Ruiz and Pavón [Monimiaceae], Fl. Peruv. Prodr. 127, t. 28. 1794; nec Pavonia H. F. A. de Roussel [Dictyotaceae], Fl. Cavados, ed. 2, 99. 1806.)

  • Synonyms

    Lass, Malache, Prestonia R.Br., Schouwia, Goethea, Lebretonia, Lopimia, Brehmia, Typhalea (DC.) C.Presl, Asterochlaena, Greevesia, Diplopenta, Luederitzia, Pseudopavonia, Blanchetiastrum, Codonochlamys, Triplochlamys, Cancellaria, Marconia, Pteropavonia, Typhalea (DC.) C.Presl

  • Description

    Genus Description - Prostrate perennial herbs, erect subshrubs, shrubs, or small trees, often stellate-pubescent, sometimes with glandular hairs, long simple hairs, scales, or other pubescence in various combinations, sometimes glabrous or glabrescent. Leaves alternate, usually petiolate, sometimes subsessile, distichous or spirally disposed, the blades ovate, elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, deltoid, or reniform, sometimes lobed (hastately, sagittately, or palmately), sometimes asymmetrical, dentate or crenate, less often entire; stipules filiform, subulate, lanceolate, falcate, or spatulate, erect or reflexed. Flowers solitary or paired in the leaf axils or variously disposed in cymes, racemes, panicles, or heads; involucel whorled at the base of the calyx, the bracts 4-24, broadly foliaceous, ligulate, oblanceolate, spatulate, or filiform, persistent, sometimes colored (pink or red), usually distinct, sometimes basally connate or gamophyllous, sometimes seemingly 2 seriate (alternately erect and reflexed) in subgen. Goetheoides; calyx gamosepalous, campanulate or tubular, shallowly to deeply 5-lobed, persistent (except deciduous in P. piptocalyx); corolla rotate, campanulate, or cylindric, white, yellow, rose, lavender, red, or purple, with or without a dark center, the petals 5, usually broadly obovate, sometimes narrowly ligulate, the claw pubescent or glabrous; androecium monadelphous, included or exserted, sometimes declined with secund anthers, surmounted by a crown of 5 apical teeth; styles 10, exceeding the androecium, more or less free distally, the 10 stigmas capitate. Fruits schizocarpic, pubescent or glabrous; mericarps 5, septicidally dehiscent, usually not loculicidally dehiscent (except in subgen. Asterochlamys), chartaceous or ligneous, sometimes winged, spined, rugose, carinate, or otherwise ornamented, or sometimes unornamented. Seeds solitary, glabrous or slightly pubescent.