Lavatera - Mallow

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's who celebrate. Bill is watching basketball and enjoying some peace and quiet.

Public Broadcasting had a show on, a few years ago I think, that was really interesting...well, as most of their shows are, of course. It was about the first flowers and flower hunting in a remote part of China. I don't know if you can still see the video or not, but this is a brief interview with one of the men who was in that video.. Enjoy, if you are so inclined.

This Mallow's pistils and stamens look like something under the sea, like an exotic sea creature...but it's not. Had a nice photo walk today. The day was quite lovely...warm and filled with soft sunshine through a bit of cloud filtering. Rain showers on the way.

Lavaterais a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, central and eastern Asia, North America (California and Mexico) and Australia. A number of species are naturalized in North America.

Many Lavatera species have now been transferred to the related genus Malva. Lavatera species are known as tree mallows, or rather ambiguously as rose mallows, royal mallows or annual mallows.

The genus includes annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous plants and soft-wooded shrubs, growing from 1-3 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, and palmately lobed. The flowers are conspicuous, 4-12 cm diameter, with five white, pink or red petals; they are produced in terminal clusters.

Lavatera species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix lavaterella, which feeds exclusively on these plants. Flowers and seeds of several species are also used as food by humans.

See ya later...