Lavatera acerifolia

Lavatera acerifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Lavatera
Species:	L. acerifolia
Binomial name
Lavatera acerifolia

Malva de Risco (Malvaceae, Malveae) is a shrub endemic to the Canary Islands. It grows in the basal parts of the islands, in a dry, sunny, environment. It loves nitrogen rich soils, specially those a bit ruderalized.

It is pollinated by insects, specially by bees and Bombus.

This endemism has a Mediterranean origin and it is more recent than the other endemics to the Canary Islands, Navaea phoenicea, which colonized the islands earlier and independently from L. acerifolia. Its closest relative is not known as there are some incongruences between chloroplastic and nuclear molecular markers.

The species is abundant and there are no threats against natural populations.