Plants annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, hairy; hairs closely appressed or tufted,usually stellate, sometimes 2-rayed; stems erect or ascending to decumbent. Leaves stipulate; stipules usually persistent, sometimes deciduous, lanceolate to linear or broadly ovate, usually subfalcate or falcate; blades broadly ovate to lanceolate, usually unlobed, sometimes obscurely 3-lobed, bases rounded, slightly cordate, nearly truncate, or cuneate, margins crenate-dentate to dentate-serrate or denticulate. Inflorescences terminal, racemes, spikes or of solitary axillary flowers on distal 1/2 of stems; involucels present, bractlets persistent, 3, distinct, free or adnate basally to calyyces. Flowers: calyces usually not inflated, sometimes slightly so, somewhat accrescent, lobes 3–5-ribbed, deltate to narrowly triangular; corollas campanulate to wide-spreading, yellow to yellow-orange; staminal columns included; ovaries (5–)8–18-celled; ovules 1 per cell; styles 5–18-branched (equal in number to cells); stigmas capitate. Fruits schizocarps, erect, not inflated, oblate-discoid, usually depressed in center, somewhat indurate at maturity; mericarps 0.1–2.3 mm long, drying tan or brown, without dorsal spurs or with 1–3 apical or dorsal) spurs, mucros, or cusps , sparsely to densely hairy, rarely glabrous, usually indehiscent, sometimes dehiscent; seeds 1 per mericarp, glabrous.
Malvastrum is native to the Americas and northeastern Australia (according to Plants of the World Online). A few species are widespread weeds. One of these, species, Malvastrum coromandelianum, is now established in Somaliland as well as many other Old Worl Countries.