Malvales |
There are five families
and over 3,000 species in this order. Plants in this order grow all over the world in a wide variety of habitats. Many of them, like cotton and cacao, are important crop plants. Plants in this order include the vegetable okra, the marshmallow, the hibiscus, and the kapok tree. |
Malvaceae - Mallow Family) The mallow family includes about 1,500 species of herbs, shrubs and trees. The flowers of these plants usually have five sepals and five petals. Species in this group occur in all but the coldest parts of the world. Plants include Indian mallow, wax mallow, poppy mallow, cotton, okra, hollyhock, rose mallow and hibiscus. This family also includes marsh mallow which is used to make, you guessed it, marshmallow! Grewia - Kapok Tree Family) This family has about 200 species including the baobab, the kapok and the lagopus tree. Balsa wood comes from the lagopus tree. |
Tiliaceae - Linden FamilyThere are about 450 species in this group including 30 species of linden trees. Many species in this family are used to make jute. Jute is used to make burlap and twine. Sterculiaceae - Cacao Family) This family includes 1,100 species of tropical or subtropical trees, shrubs and herbs. Plants in this family include cacao which is used to make chocolate and cocoa and cola which is used in sodas. Other plants include the dombeya and the sterculia. ElaeocarpaceaeThere are about 400 species in this family. They grow in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The blue marble tree is native to Australia. It has fruit that looks like bright blue marbles and blue seeds! The seeds are often used as beads.
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