Malva kashmiriana Alef.

Malva species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs or undershrubs. Stems erect or procumbent, branches pubescent or glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, 3-7 palmately lobed or parted, suborbicular to reniform, base truncate to cordate, margins crenate-dentate or entire, apex acute to acuminate, petiolate, stipules linear lanceolate-ovate, persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or fascicled, rarely terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, persistent, epicalyx 3, base connate or free, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit, persistent, corolla showy and large, yellow, white, red, orange, purple, red, blue and dark colored at the base, apex notched to emarginate. Staminal column, base wide, filaments, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-15 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style usually equal to number of carpels, stigmas on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, mericarps 9-15, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, smooth, glabrous or hairy.

Malva species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: July—October.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Perennial herbs, procumbent, about 1-2 m tall. Stems, branches densely pubescent with stellate hairs when young, later becoming glabrescent. Leaves alternate, dimorphic, 3-5 palmately lobed or parted, orbicular to cordate, about 3-9 x 2.5-8 cm across, base truncate to cordate, 5-7 veined, margins crenate, lobes deltoid to ovate, apex acute to obtuse, tomentose with stellate hairs above and densely pubescent with stellate hairs beneath, petiole, wider near the base, about 2-7 cm long, stipules linear lanceolate, with stellate hairs, caducous, about 2-5 x 1 mm across. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or fascicled or rarely terminal subracemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, pubescent with stellate hairs, about 4-8 cm long, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, epicalyx 3, ovate, base connate till almost 8 mm, with stellate hairs on both sides, about 1-1.5 x 0.8-1.5 mm across, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, base connate till middle, margins ciliate, densely stellate hairy on both sides, margins stellate hairy and glabresent in the center, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit, persistent, about 1.5-2 x 1.5-2 cm across, corolla showy and large, purple, blue or pink, petals obovate, glabrous, margins with stellate hairs, about 3-4 x 1.5-2 cm across. Staminal column, wider near the base, sparsely stellate hairy, about 1.5 cm long, anthers basifixed, above middle half. Ovary 20-25 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style 20-25 branched, stigmas 20-25, on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, about 7 mm across, mericarps 20-25. Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, reticulate, glabrous, brownish black.

Malva species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Northwestern Himalayan temperate forests, altitude 2000-3300 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated occasionally.