41. Malvaceae

It is impossible to argue with the economic importance of the Malva family, which among other things brought us cotton and chocolate. For crying out loud -- where would any of us be without cotton or chocolate? Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, is one of the top cash crops of the U.S. South, California's Central Valley and probably many other regions of the world. Chocolate, Theobroma cacao, is simply the food of the gods, as the words "Theo broma" translate to in Greek. Above, the blogger is seen holding a cocoa pod at a boutique chocolatier in Belize. Chocolate used to belong to its own family, Sterculiaceae, but that family, along with Bombacaceae, got swallowed up by the Malvaceae to create a mega-family.

There are other familiar products: okra - Abelmoschus esculentus; balsa wood -- Ochroma pyramidale; and Hibiscus, to name a few. Ornamental flowers such as hollyhock also belong to the Malva or Mallow family, as it is sometimes called. Seen below is danish black hollyhock, a variety of common hollyhock -- Alcea rosa. I consider hollyhocks to be both beautiful and humorous, especially when they get very tall. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the tallest hollyhock was 19 feet 7 inches. Their average mature height is between 6 and 10 feet.

This is a large family containing many species that span the spectrum from cash crops to invasive weeds and everything in between. Among the delightful native California species I have encountered are Lavatera assurgentiflora, originating from the Channel Islands but now growing all over the mainland with its pretty pink flowers; and flannelbush, Fremontodenron californicum, seen below at the UC Santa Cruz arboretum and prized as an attractive, drought-resistant landscaping shrub.

By far the most commonly encountered mallow is Malva neglecta, sometimes called cheeseweed. It is one of the most invasive weeds in the United States, filling up vacant lots coast to coast with shameless abandon. I would venture to say that most people have seen it without even realizing it.

One day I made an extraordinary discovery behind a strip mall in the Salinas Valley: a long row of fabulously weird trees of Australian origin, Brachychiton populneus, commonly known as bottle trees, but also called lacebark kurrajong, a fabulously weird name that somehow fits the strangeness of the flowers and pods seen below. Apparently these trees are used as wind breaks here in CA.

My encounters with notable malvas doesn't stop there. I should mention that when I listed the 76 plant families featured in this blog along with notable representatives from each, there were more species of Malvaceae than any other family. Among the ones I have not mentioned are: baobob trees -- Adansonia, famously featured in the book "The Little Prince"; silk floss trees -- Ceiba speciosa, another tropical beauty; the Confederate rose -- Hibiscus mutabilis, a flower of the South that changes from white to red throughout the course of the day; and the money tree -- Pachira aquatica, a popular houseplant, cultivated in the tropics for its nuts.

40. Magnoliaceae

It is fitting that the Magnoliaceae family should land on a big number like 40 (this being the fortieth family described) since it is the namesake of this blog and the fellow who inspired it -- M. Pierre Magnol. And while this family is not known for its economic value, its cultural value is off the charts.

Alas, I did not grow up surrounded by the famed southern magnolia -- Magnolia grandiflora, but rather some horticultural curiosities that are probably better suited to the north. There were two star magnolias -- Magnolia stellata, right next to my parents' house. This Japanese import had "pussy willows" in the winter, pretty white flowers in the summer (above), and fabulously weird fruits in the fall, all of which were visible from certain upstairs windows.

Next door at Old Westbury Gardens were tulip trees -- Liridendron tulipifera, with their famously tulip-shaped leaves. A true American original, they are native to just about everywhere east of the Mississippi. Liridendroidae is a subfamily of the Magnolia family and consists of only one genus, the Liridendron. The only two extant species of these are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia. According to fossil records, there were at one time other species. Like the gingko family, magnolias have an ancient lineage.

It was in California and Louisiana that my magnolia education was completed. The carefully pruned southern magnolias that line California streets were presented to me in their natural, scruffy state (above) in Louisiana. Both are striking and both clobber you over the head with their unique character. As someone who likes firm, waxy leaves, there is no question these are among my favorite trees.

Another California street tree that I've recently taken note of is the Japanese magnolia -- Magnolia liliiflora, seen below on the verge of blooming. Quite a few ornamental magnolias come from Asia and there is a history hybridizing them. The saucer magnolia, for instance, is a cross between the Japanese magnolia and the Yulan magnolia -- Magnolia denudata, which hails from China. Interestingly, the cross-breeding did not occur in Asia but in Europe, where Etienne Soulange-Bodin, a retired Napoleonic army officer, successfully consummated the marriage in 1820. The resulting tree, Magnolia x soulangeana or saucer magnolia, has since been widely planted in Britain and America.