See Text Palaua is a genus of malvaceous plants native to the Andes.

It shares with Malope and Kitaibelia the property of possessing capitate schizocarps, and was formerly classified with them in a subfamily Malopoideae or tribe Malopeae.

It is now considered to be more closely related to Sphaeralcea, and to other Andean mallows.

It is native to Peru and northern Chile.

[2] The genus name of Palaua is in honour of Antonio Palau y Verdera (1734–1793), a Spanish naturalist.