Pavonia malacophylla (Link & Otto) Garcke

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pavonia malacophylla (Link & Otto) Garcke

  • Type

    Type. Berlin Bot. Gard, (specimen unknown).

  • Synonyms

    Brehmia arborescens Schrank, Pavonia velutina A.St.-Hil., Malache velutina (A.St.-Hil.) Kuntze, Pavonia plumosa Turcz., Pavonia megalophylla Wright, Sida malacophylla Link & Otto, Lopimia malacophylla (Link & Otto) Mart., Malache malacophylla (Link & Otto) Standl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs or small trees 2-5 m tall, the stems densely pubescent with stellate and glandular hairs. Leaf blades mostly 9-21 cm long, ovate to weakly angulate, cordate, finely serrulate, acute, densely pubescent above and beneath, somewhat discolorous; petioles subequal to the blades on lower leaves, 1/3-½ as long as the blades above; stipules usually 4-7 mm long and subulate but sometimes to 2 cm long and lanceolate. Flowers aggregated into dense terminal inflorescences; pedicels of variable length, up to 3 cm long, densely pubescent; involucellar bracts 15-18 (-24), 12-18 mm long, valvate in bud, externally glandular-pubescent, internally long-hirsute, the hairs copious, whitish; calyx 2-3 mm long, wholly concealed by the involucel; petals ca. 3 cm long, rose or red (rarely white), abaxially stellate-pubescent, adaxially glabrous (including margins of claw), erect forming a tubular corolla; staminal column more or less exserted, glabrous, the filaments 4-10 mm long; styles exserted. Fruits blackish, viscid, the mericarps twice the height of the column, glabrous.

  • Discussion

    Pavonia malacophylla is sometimes used for its bast fibers to produce cordage. A sample of such processed fibers is included as a part of the herbarium specimen of Kauffmann 12 (US) from Pará, Brazil.

    Pavonia malacophylla is closely allied to P dasypetala, and their differences and similarities are discussed under the latter species.

    Specimens from San José Island, Panama (I. M. Johnston 840, 552) and from the province of Panama (Knapp & Mallet 2965) are distinguished by having white corollas (and anthers), but otherwise conform to the species in the remainder of its range.

    Gottsberger (1972) observed bee-pollination and postulated hummingbird-pollination in this species.

  • Common Names

    amapola, guácima, malva, malva rosada, malva veludo, manzanilla, remela de Cachorro

  • Distribution

    From Mexico and Cuba to Brazil and Bolivia, but not in all of the intervening countries (i.e., the distribution is sporadic). It occurs principally in forested habitats at elevations of 0-400 m (but to 1100 m in Brazil). The type locality for Pavonia velutina is at 21°19'S, 41°45'W.

    Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Tabasco Mexico North America| Belize Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Herrera Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Islas de las Perlas Panamá Central America| Cuba South America| Isla de Piños Cuba South America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Barinas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America| Distrito Federal Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Paraíba Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Beni Bolivia South America| Pando Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America|