Description :

• Herbs, suffrutices or shrubs
• Leaves undivided to palmatipartite, often cordate, mostly palmately veined, petiolate
• Flowers mostly axillary, solitary or occasionally in pseudoracemes or terminal subcapitate racemes; pedicels usually articulate
• Epicalyx of (3-)5-16 filiform to broadly ovate, mostly free, bracts
• Calyx broadly campanulate to tubiform, usually divided to beyond middle, often somewhat accrescent
• Petals longer than calyx, usually ± obliquely obovate, yellow, white or reddish to mauve
• Staminal tube as long as or somewhat shorter than petals, 5-toothed or truncate at apex, bearing anthers mainly in upper half, sometimes nearly down to base
• Gynoecium of 5 carpels, each with 1 ovule; style branches 10, usually shorter than style; stigmas capitate, often penicillate
• Fruit of 5 1-seeded, trigonous, dorsally convex, membranous or woody mericarps separating from axis, dorsally often ridged or muricate, apex rounded, rarely apiculate or awned, margins sometimes winged
• Seeds kidney-shaped
• x = 7 (13) (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Pavonia Cav.
  • Cavanilles: 11 (1786) name conserved
  • Harvey: 169 (1860)
  • Meeuse: 504 (1960)
  • Roessler: 25 (1969)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 150, widespread in tropics and subtropics, especially in the New World
• Southern Africa : Species 11, widespread, but rare in Western Cape