Lavatera
(named in honour of two brothers Lavater, physicians of Zurich, and naturalists, who lived in the eighteenth century). ORD. Malvaceae. A genus containing about eighteen species of Old World hardy or half-hardy annuals, biennials, perennials, or shrubby plants, allied to Malva, but having the three to six lobes of the involucel coherent about half-way up. Flowers axillary and solitary, clustered, or terminal and racemose. Leaves angled or lobed. The following are the only species worth growing. For culture, see Malva.
L. arborea (tree-like). Tree Mallow. fl. pale purple, 2in. across; pedicels aggregate, axillary, one-flowered. Summer and autumn. l. large, on long petioles, five to nine-lobed, crenate. Stem arboreous. h. 6ft. to 10ft. Coasts of Europe (Britain). A handsome biennial species, softly pubescent all over. (Sy. En. B. 279.) There is a showy garden form of this (variegata) with variegated leaves. for which we are indebted to Mr. Wm. Bull. L. Olbia (Olbia). Tree Lavatera. fl. reddish-purple, solitary, on short pedicels. June to October. l. soft, woolly, five-lobed; upper ones three-lobed, with the middle lobe elongated; upper-most leaves oblong, almost undivided. Stem shrubby, scabrous. h. 6ft. Provence, 1570 (now become naturalised in some parts of Britain).
L. trimestris (three-monthly).* fl. rose-coloured; pedicels solitary. Summer. l. smoothish, roundish-cordate; upper ones lobed. Stem herbaceous, scabrous. h. 3ft. to 6ft. South Europe, Asia Minor, &c., 1633. A common but very beautiful and showy hardy annual. (B. M. 409.) L. unguiculata (claw-petaled). fl. lilac, solitary, axillary, on short pedicels, about 3in. across. Summer. l. tomentose, acutely five-lobed; upper ones three-lobed. Stem shrubby, tomentose from starry down. h. 6ft. South-east Europe, 1807.