Pavonia Cavanilles (1786: 132) .

Type species:— Pavonia paniculata Cavanilles (1787: 135) .

Prostrate or erect herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, rarely trees. Branches, petioles, pedicels, and leaves glabrescent, to pubescent, or tomentose, or velutinous, rarely pilose, with simple to 2‒10-branched (stellate) trichomes, sometimes glandular, rarely absorbent. Longitudinal lines of trichomes present. Stipules axillary in pairs, filiform, lanceolate, rarely falciform. Leaves unlobed or 3‒5-lobed, rarely sub-trilobed, asymmetrical, and flabelliform, palmate, ovate, deltoid, orbicular, ovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, membranaceus; base cordate or obtuse; apex acute to obtuse; margin serrate, crenate, rarely entire, or dentate. Flowers solitary in leaf axil, rarely disposed in terminal or paniculate inflorescences. Epicalyx with 6‒26 bracteoles, filiform or lanceolate, sometimes connate in the base, greenish, rarely red, pubescent, tomentose or velutinous, rarely pilose, often glandular. Calyx, cupuliform, rarely vestigial or tubular; divided in five acute lobes, rarely deltoid; greenish, pubescent, tomentose or velutinous, glandular. Petals obovate, connate in the base of the staminal tube, rarely linear-lanceolate, free, yellow, pink, or red, with or without basal spot. Staminal tube cylindrical, glabrous. Style with 10 stigmas. Fruit schizocarp of five mericarps, obovoid, unornamented, 3-rostrate, apically mucronate, rarely winged, striate or 3-aristate; with simple to 2‒3-branched trichomes; mericarps rarely coated with a viscous substance (from the glandular trichomes present in the calyx and epicalyx). Seeds reniform, glabrous.

Key to species of Pavonia from Pernambuco state

1. Prostrate herbs; leaves ovate, deltoid, flabelliform or unequal ..........................................................................................................2

- Erect herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, rarely trees; leaves ovate (to cordiform), rarely palmately, orbicular, ovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, equal ...................................................................................................................................................................................................4

2. Branches, leaves and epicalyx velutinous; leaves asymmetrical............................................................................. Pavonia humifusa

- Branches, leaves and epicalyx pubescent or pilose; leaves symmetrical (flabelliform, ovate to deltoid) .........................................3

3. Leaves dentate ............................................................................................................................................................. Pavonia repens

- Leaves serrate ........................................................................................................................................................ Pavonia cancellata

4. Epicalyx with six bracteoles................................................................................................................................. Pavonia hexaphylla

- Epicalyx with 7‒26 bracteoles............................................................................................................................................................5

5. Leaves lobed.......................................................................................................................................................................................6

- Leaves entire.......................................................................................................................................................................................7

6. Leaves pubescent with serrate margin; mericarps winged ............................................................................... Pavonia blanchetiana

- Leaves velutinous with crenate margin; mericarps entire (3-rostrate) ...................................................................... Pavonia varians

7. Leaves orbicular and ovate-lanceolate ............................................................................................................... Pavonia ducke-limae

- Leaves lanceolate or ovate (to cordiform)..........................................................................................................................................8

8. Leaves lanceolate..................................................................................................................................................... Pavonia fruticosa

- Leaves blades ovate (to cordiform) ....................................................................................................................................................9

9. Leaves shape 0.5‒1.2 × 0.3‒0.8 cm; mericarps 3-aristate............................................................................................ Pavonia martii

- Leaves shape 1.2 × 0.8 cm; mericarps without aristate....................................................................................................................10

10. Stipules falciform; flowers in panicles................................................................................................................. Pavonia paniculata

- Stipules filiform; flowers solitary, rarely in terminal inflorescence.................................................................................................11

11. Bracteoles filiform; flowers pink...................................................................................................................... Pavonia malacophylla

- Bracteoles lanceolate; flowers yellow or red....................................................................................................................................12

12. Epicalyx with seven greenish bracteoles.................................................................................................................. Pavonia sidifolia

- Epicalyx with 12‒16 red bracteoles .................................................................................................................... Pavonia glazioviana