How can Malvaceae plants be recognized when they have no flowers?

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Baobab — Malvales A fony baobab tree (*Adansonia rubrostipa*), estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, in Madagascar.

Even when not in flower, members of the Malvaceae family can be identified by a specific combination of vegetative characteristics. You can recognize them by looking for the following features:12

Fibrous Bark: The bark is typically stringy, fibrous, and tough due to the presence of fiber bands in the phloem.31
Leaves: The plants have alternate leaves that generally feature toothed margins and stipules (small, leaflike appendages) at the base of the leaf stalk. The venation is typically palmate.123
Hairs: They possess distinctive multicellular hairs that are either stellate (star-shaped) or scaly in appearance.12

These traits provide a reliable way to distinguish members of this family even in their sterile state.12