Malva arborea flower

The flowers of Malva arborea grow in small clusters from leaf axils. The corolla is dark pink to purple in the widish cup and along veins that radiate nearly across the spreading lobes of the five, clawed, broad-tipped petals. The petals in picture are nearly square-tipped to wavy at their tips but may be rounder in some plants. The corolla diameter is 3 cm to 4 cm.

The erect staminal column in the flower centre is shorter than the petals. Several pale filaments visibly split from this column. The number of style branches equals the number of carpels within which the seeds grow.

The corollas become blue-purple when they furl and wilt. The photo was taken during October (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Wikipedia; iNaturalist).