Malvales

Article By:

Chase, Mark W. Molecular Systematics Section, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Surrey, United Kingdom.

Last reviewed:June 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.402400

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• Malvales, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

An order of flowering plants in the core eudicots. The plant order Malvales consists of 10 families and approximately 6000 species (see illustration). The circumscription of the order Malvales has been altered greatly as a result of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence data. Of the five families in the traditional concept, namely, Malvaceae, Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, and Elaeocarpaceae, the first four have been combined as Malvaceae due to the lack of monophyly of three of these families in their traditional circumscription. In addition, the family Elaeocarpaceae has been reassigned to the order Oxalidales. Moreover, other families have been transferred to Malvales, including Dipterocarpaceae and Thymelaeaceae. Overall, members of the expanded order are characterized by the presence of mucilage in epidermal cells and cavities. Furthermore, palmate leaves, stellate hairs, and numerous stamens with partially fused filaments occur frequently. See also: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA); Eudicotyledons; Flower; Magnoliophyta; Magnoliopsida; Oxalidales

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