Common Mallow
Malva sylvestris
The disc-shaped fruit segments are commonly called cheeses because they resemble miniature wheels of cheese before splitting apart.
- Scientific name
- Malva sylvestris
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Malvales › Malvaceae › Malva
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Roadsides, hedgerows, open fields, pastures, and disturbed ground
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Southwestern Asia, North America (introduced), Australia (introduced)
- Size
- 30–120 cm tall
- Lifespan
- 1–3 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Herbicides, over-mowing, and intensive urban development
- Safe to approach?
- Common mallow is completely harmless to humans and non-toxic. Leaves and flowers are traditionally foraged and consumed. No special precautions or safe distances are necessary, though plants growing along roadsides or industrial areas should not be eaten due to soil pollutants.
Malva sylvestris is a species of the mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae and is considered to be the type species for the genus. Known as common mallow to English-speaking Europeans, it acquired the common names of cheeses , high mallow and tall mallow ( mauve des bois by the French) as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world. M. sylvestris is a vigorously healthy plant...
Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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