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Malva sylvestris

Malva sylvestris: Plant
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version
Malva sylvestris: Flowers
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version
Common name: Mallow Family: Malvaceae
Author: L. Botanical references: 17, 200
Synonyms: Malva mauritiana (L.), Malva erecta (C.Presl.), Malva ambigua (Guss.)
Known Hazards: When grown on nitrogen rich soils (and particularly when these are cultivated inorganically), the plant tends to concentrate high levels of nitrates in its leaves[76]. The leaves are perfectly wholesome at all other times.
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain.
Habitat: Waste ground, field verges and roadsides, avoiding acid soils[7, 9, 17].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 3Medicinal Rating (1-5):3

Other Possible Synonyms:From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
M. sylvestris ssp. mauritiana[B,P] M. sylvestris var. incanescens[G] M. sylvestris var. mauritiana[B,P]
Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Blue Mallow [H], Cheese-cake [H], Cheese-flower [H], Cheese-log [H], Common Mallow [MS,L,H], Ebegumeci [E], Groot Kaasjeskruid [D], High Mallow [P,B,E,L], Mallow [H], Malva [E], Marsh Mallow [H], Zebrina Mallow [H],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
sylvestris = of woods; sylvestris = of woods;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Malvales. Mallow family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Ethiopia; France; Sardinia; Sicily; Spain; Turkey; Us; Venezuela

Physical Characteristics

Biennial/Perennial growing to 0.45m. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedgerow, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Cultivar 'Mauritiana': Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves; Seed; Tea.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 7, 9, 94, 183]. Mucilaginous with a mild pleasant flavour, they are nice in soups where they act as a thickener[5]. The young leaves also make a very acceptable substitute for lettuce in a salad[K].
Immature seed - raw[183]. Used as a nibble[183], the seeds have a nice nutty flavour[12] but are too fiddly for most people to want to gather in quantity[K].
Flowers - raw. Added to salads or used as a garnish[183]. A pleasant mild flavour, with a similar texture to the leaves, they make a pleasant and pretty addition to the salad bowl[K].
The leaves are a tea substitute[46, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiphlogistic; Astringent; Demulcent; Diuretic; Emollient; Expectorant; Laxative; Salve.

All parts of the plant are antiphlogistic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, laxative, salve[4, 7, 9, 21, 46, 222, 238]. The leaves and flowers can be eaten as part of the diet, or a tea can be made from the leaves, flowers or roots[222]. The leaves and flowers are the main part used, their demulcent properties making them valuable as a poultice for bruise, inflammations, insect bites etc, or they can be taken internally in the treatment of respiratory system diseases and problems with the digestive tract[4, 238, 254]. When combined with eucalyptus it makes a god remedy for coughs and other chest ailments[254]. Mallow has similar properties, but is considered to be inferior to the marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) and are seldom used internally[4]. The plant is an excellent laxative for young children[7].
The leaves can be used fresh whenever they are available or can be harvested in the spring and dried for later use[254]. The flowers are harvested in the summer and can be dried for later use[254].

Other Uses

Dye; Fibre; Litmus.

Cream, yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the plant and the seed heads[168].
A tincture of the flowers forms a very delicate test for alkalis[4, 115].
The leaves are used to relieve insect bites and stings[53].
A fibre obtained from the stems is useful for cordage, textiles and paper making[115].

Cultivation details

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil[1] and in poor soils[238]. It prefers a reasonably well-drained and moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[200], where it will produce a better crop of salad leaves[K].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[187].
There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[187]. 'Mauritiana' is larger than the type with much more ornamental flowers[187]. The flavour of the leaves and flowers is considered by many to be superior to the type species[183].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
Prone to infestation by rust fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in situ. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.

Cultivars

'Mauritiana'
At one time considered to be a distinct species, this plant is now considered to be no more than a part of M. sylvestris but with larger showier flowers[187]. It is probably best treated as a variety rather than a sub-species. The leaves are said to have a superior flavour to the type species[183].

Suppliers

Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to   so please mention us when ordering.
Wildwood Nurseries
Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324 Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item: Malva sylvestris (marsh mallow)

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for malva sylvestris (a possible synonym).

References for the family Malvaceae.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.

[76] Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984 ISBN 0112425291
Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.

[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Edible Wild Plants For Tortoises

Linda King Sat Aug 18 18:20:37 2001

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm

Please go to my main Diet page and click on the Plant List link at the top. This is a new section of my Tortoise Care website, and is an illustrated Edible Wild Plants list for tortoise keepers in the UK. Click on the Latin names to see the illustrations which are all original work. The information with the illustrations would be equally applicable to iguanas and herbivorous mammals.

Details of Growing Condition: UK.

Cross references: Plants: Taraxacum officinale , Leontodon, Hypochoeris , Crepis biennis, Crepis capillaris , Lapsana communis , Cichorium intybus , Sonchus oleraceus , Plantago major, Plantago media, Plantago lanceotata , Malva neglecta, Malva moschata , Capsella bursa-pastoris , Cardamine hirsuta, Cardamine flexuosa , Trifolium repens , Trifolium pratense , Vicia sativa , Vicia sepium , Vicia cracca , Onobrychis sativa , Campanula rapunculoides , Convolvulus, Calystegia , Sedum album , Sisymbrium officinale .

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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