Malva sylvestris

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 with showy flowers of bright mauve-purple, with dark veins; a handsome plant, often standing 3 or 4 feet (1 m) high and growing freely in fields, hedgerows and in fallow fields.

Common names

Sources:

It is one of several species of different genera sometimes referred to as Creeping charlie, a term more commonly applied to Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy).

Description

Malvus sylvestris is a spreading herb, who is an annual in North Africa, biennial in the Mediterranean and a perennial elsewhere Three feet (one meter) tall, (3 meters has been observed in a wild or escaped from cultivation setting, and several cultivated plants of 2 meter or more in height) with a growth habit which can be straight or decumbent, branched and covered with fine soft hairs or none at all, M. sylvestris is pleasing in appearance when it first starts to flower, but as the summer advances, "the leaves lose their deep green color and the stems assume a ragged appearance".

M. sylvestris has an epicalyx (or false calyx) with oblong segments, two-thirds as long as calyx or 2-3 millimeters long and 1.5 millimeters wide. Its calyx is free to the middle, 3-6 millimeters long,with broadly triangular lobes or ovate mostly 5–7 millimeters long. The flowers are 2-4 times as long as the calyx;
Petals are wrinkly to veined on the backs, more than 20 millimeters long or 15 to 25 millimeters long and 1 centimeter wide, eggshaped, margin notched with a fringe of hairlike projections.
Slender flower stalks that are either 2 centimeters long or 1 to 3 centimeters long.
Ten broad carpels in axillary clusters; stamen about 3 millimters long, radiating from the center with short soft hairs.

Seeds or 'cheeses,' are brown to brownish green when ripe, about 2.5 millimeters long and wide 5 to 7 millimeters in diameter and are shaped like a cheese wheel which is where several of its common names came from.

Chromosome number: 2n=42.

Distribution

As a native Malva sylvestris spreads itself on waste and rough ground, by roads and railways throughout lowland England, Wales and Channel Islands, Siberia and scattered elsewhere. It has been introduced to and has become naturalised in eastern Australia, in the United States, Canada and Mexico probably escaped from cultivation. Native
Palearctic:
Macaronesia: Azores, Madeira Islands
Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia
Western Asia: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Sinai, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ciscaucasia, Dagestan, Georgia
Soviet Middle Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Mongolia: Mongolia
China: Xinjiang
Indian Subcontinent: Bhutan, India, Pakistan
Northern Europe: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom
Middle Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland
East Europe: Belarus, Central Russia, Central Black Earth, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Northern Russia, North Caucasus, Northwestern Russia, Volga, Urals, Volga-Vyatka, Ukraine
Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovenia, Romania
Southwestern Europe: Baleares, Corsica, France, Portugal, Spain
Source: USDA ARS GRIN

Uses

In 1931 Maud Grieve wrote that the "use of this species of Mallow has been much superseded by Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis), which possesses its valuable properties in a superior degree, but it is still a favourite remedy with country people where Marsh Mallow is not obtainable," making this section more about history as it is about uses.

Decoration: In the past, the flowers were spread on doorways and woven into garlands or chaplets for celebrating May Day.

Food: The young leaves when boiled is a wholesome vegetable and was (1841) eaten in several parts of Europe;however, cattle do not seem to enjoy it and graze around them.

Medicinal: Mucilage is present in many of the Malvaceae family, especially the fruit and were employed medicinally, as demulcents and emollients. The seeds were used internally in a decoction as a demulcent and diuretic and the leaves made into poultices as an emollient for external applications.

Other: The species has long been used as a natural yellow dye, perhaps more recently, cream color, yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the plant and the seeds. A tincture of the flowers can make a very sensitive test for alkalis.

Subspecies

Plants previously often described as Malva sylvestris var. mauritiana are now considered a Cultivar Group Malva sylvestris Mauritiana Group.

Cultivation

It is often grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive flowers, produced for a long period through the summer. Numerous cultivars have been selected and named.

Cultivars of Malva sylvestris include: 'Alba', 'Annita', 'Aurora', 'Bardsey Blue', BLUE FOUNTAIN , 'Brave Heart', 'Cottenham Blue', 'Gibbortello', 'Harry Hay', 'Highnam', 'Inky Stripe', 'Knockout', 'Magic Hollyhock', 'Mest', 'Mystic Merlin', 'Perry's Blue', 'Purple Satin', 'Richard Perry', 'Tournai', 'Windsor Castle', 'Zebrina' and 'Zebrina Zebra Magis'.

Cultivar Groups:
Malva sylvestris L. Mauritiana group: Swedish :mauretansk rödmalva, Estonian :mauri kassinaeris, Slovenian :Mavretanski slezenovec, Croatian :mórmályva Malva mauritiana used to be recognized as a species whose range is Iberia, Italy and Algeria. Garden plants are often called Malva sylvestris var. mauritiana and they make a cultivar group that includes:
'Bibor Felho'
'Moravia'
Malva sylvestris L. Eriocarpa group: Hairy seeds and hairy stems found between Italy and the Himalayas, Central Asia and China.
Malva sylvestris L. Canescens group: Every part except for the flower is covered with dense white woolly hair, growing in the Montpellier region of France, and on the Balearic Isles. Some 19th century botanical works called this group Malva sylvestris L. var. canescens.
Malva sylvestris L. Sterile Blue group: Vegetatively propagated pale violet-blue flowered cultivars:
MARINA 'Dema'
'Primley Blue'

Source: Stewart Robert Hinsley

Virus: Malva vein clearing potyvirus which is transmitted by mechanical inoculation in a non-persistent manner via insects: Aphis umbrella (syn. Aphis malvae Koch) and Myzus persicae (all are Aphididae). The virus can be found in Tasmania, Brazil, the former Czechoslovakia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, California, Russia and the former Yugoslavia.

Translation

The phrase "Malva sylvestris" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Latin.

Translation(s) in other languages: Azeri: Əməköməci, Catalan: Malva major, Corsican: Malma, Danish: Almindelig Katost, German: Wilde Malve, Greek: Μολόχα, Persian: پنیرک قرمز, French: Grande mauve, Upper Sorbian: Dźiwi šlěz, Kurdish: Tolik (pincar), Lithuanian: Miškinė dedešva, Hungarian: Erdei mályva, Dutch: Groot kaasjeskruid, Japanese: コモンマロウ, Polish: Ślaz dziki, Slovak: Slez lesný, Slovenian: Gozdni slezenovec, Serbian: Црни слез, Swedish: Rödmalva.