Lavatera bryoniifolia Mill.
L. sphaciotica Gand., L. unguiculata Desf., L. olbia subsp. cyrenaicae Pamp., Malva unguiculata (Desf.) Alef.
Perennial shrub, up to 3 m in height, with highly branched stems, young branches with tomentum of stellate hairs. Leaf blade up to 7 cm long, 5-lobed; lamina of the upper leaves hastate, entirely crenate, with a dense indumentum of stellate hairs. Petiole up to 3 cm. Flowers solitary, rarely in pairs, on the axil of the leaf. Pedicels 3-10 mm long, densely covered with stellate hairs. Epicalyx cup-shaped, 8-10 mm long, densely covered by stellate hairs, invaginated at the point of insertion of the pedicel, segments abruptly acuminate. Calyx 13-15 mm long, densely covered with hair, teeth acuminate. Petals 20-25 mm long, pink or pinkish-violet. Fruit composed of muricate mericarps, not rugose.
Flowering:
May to July.
Fruiting:
June to August.
Habitat:
Disturbed places, on uncultivated land.
Distribution:
Eastern Mediterranean (Europe and Asia), with a small population in North Africa, in the NE of Libya (between Benghazi and Derna).
Conservation status:
Fairly rare species but widely distributed; very rare in North Africa. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.