kosteletzkya

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of malvaceous plants of the tribe Hibisceæ, closely related to Hibiscus, from which it differs chiefly in having only one ovule in each cell of the ovary. Eight species have been described, inhabiting the warmer parts of America, several in Mexico and Texas, and one (K. Virginica) extending as far north as the salt marshes of New Jersey and New York. This last, which is a well-known plant, is a tall perennial herb, sometimes 4 or 5 feet high, with ample heart-shaped or halberd-shaped 3-lobed leaves, and large rose-purple flowers, often 2 inches in width.