Pavonia lasiopetala Scheele

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pavonia lasiopetala Scheele

  • Type

    Type. United States. Texas: Near New Braunfels, 1846, Lindheimer 352 (lectotype, here designated, US; isotypes, BM, K-3, MO, NY-2, PH-2).

  • Synonyms

    Pavonia wrightii A.Gray, Malache wrightii (A.Gray) Kuntze, Malache lasiopetala (Scheele) Kuntze

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs ca. 1 m tall, the stems densely to sparsely stellate-pubescent, sometimes dark-pigmented. Leaf blades mostly 2-5 cm long, slightly longer than wide, ovate, cordate, coarsely dentate, acute, discolorous, stellate-pubescent, more densely and coarsely so beneath; petioles ½-l times the length of the blade; stipules 2-5 mm long, subulate. Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, the pedicels 2-5 cm long; involucellar bracts 5, linear-lanceolate (or narrowly oblanceolate), shorter than to subequal to calyx, 1-2 mm wide, hirsute; calyx 9-12 mm long, hirsute, whitish with green veins; corolla 1.5-2.5 cm long, rose-lavender, ciliate on margins of claw; staminal column 7-13 mm long, glabrous, pallid, the filaments 2-3 mm long; styles exceeding the column, the stigmas usually villous. Fruits 8-9 mm diam., oblate, essentially glabrous, the mericarps 3.5-4 mm long, smoothly rounded or obscurely carinate.

  • Discussion

    Pavonia lasiopetala is sometimes cultivated in central Texas as an ornamental shrub (Nokes, 1986) because of its profuse production of pink flowers and its tolerance of relatively dry habitats.

    Pavonia lasiopetala stands out for its smooth carpels and flowers with included genitalia. It shares these characters with the closely similar P. leiocarpa.

    Illustrations. Andrews (1992: 97*); Fryxell (1979: figs. 3F, 5B); Gray (1849: pl. 130, as P. wrightii); Meehan (1892: pl. 12, as P wrightii); Powell (1988: fig. 230).

    Distribution and Ecology: Pavonia lasiopetala is the northernmost representative of the genus, with the possible exception of adventive plants of P. hastata from the state of Georgia (the types of P. lecontei and P. jonesii). It is in fact wholly extratropical in distribution, occurring only in Coahuila, Nuevo León, New Mexico, and Texas, at 500-1000 m elevation. In Texas it occurs at least as far N as 30°33'N at Marble Falls (Burnet Co.) and near Sheffield (N Terrell Co.). The type locality is at 29°38'N, 98°05'W.

  • Common Names

    rose-mallow

  • Distribution

    United States of America North America| New Mexico United States of America North America| Texas United States of America North America| Mexico North America| Coahuila Mexico North America| Nuevo León Mexico North America|