Malvaceae  

Herbs, shrubs or small trees. Indumentum stellate or simple. Leaves simple,alternate, stipulate, often digitately lobed, rarely divided. Flowers usually bisexual, solitary or clustered in leaf-axils, often merging into more or less well-defined terminal inflorescences. Calyx often 5-lobed,rarely 3 or 4, epicalyx present or not. Petals 5, usually connate at the base and adnate to the stamina column. Receptacle short or elongate into a central axis. Stamens numerous, rarely 5, connate into a stamina column, anthers 1- celled. Ovary superior, 2-many carpels, ovules 1- many per locule, style simple at base, often deeply divided, branches as many or twice as many as carpels. Fruit a dehiscent capsule or schizocarp, rarely a berry. Seeds usually hairy,1- many
This family represented by about 90 genera and 2000 species. Widespread in all tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, particularly in tropical America and Africa to India