Malva parviflora

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Malva parviflora
Malva parviflora small.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Malva
Species:
M. parviflora
Binomial name
Malva parviflora
L.
Synonyms [1]
List

Malva parviflora is an annual or perennial herb that is native to Northern Africa, Southern Europe, and Western and Central Asia and is widely naturalized elsewhere. [2] Common names include cheeseweed, [2] cheeseweed mallow, Egyptian mallow, [2] least mallow, [3] little mallow, [2] mallow, [4] marshmallow, [4] small-flowered mallow, [5] small-flowered marshmallow, [6] and smallflower mallow. [4] It is used in traditional medicine.

Contents

Description

M. parviflora has a decumbent or erect habit, growing up to 50–80 cm in height. [5] [7] The broad leaves have 5–7 shallow lobes and are 8–10 cm in diameter. [5] The lobe edges are round-toothed, with varying hairiness. [7] It has small white or pink flowers year-round at the base of leaf stalks; flowers have 4–10 mm long petals. [5] [7] The 2 mm seeds are reddish-brown and kidney-shaped. [7]

Newly sprouted plants have hairless, heart-shaped cotyledons with long stalks. These cotyledons are 3–12 mm long and 3–8 mm wide. Stalks usually do have hairs. The first leaf is rounder and larger than the others. True leaves are round and weakly lobed with wavy, shallow-toothed edges and a red spot at the leaf base. The plant rapidly grows a deep taproot. [7]

M. parviflora has a diploid number of 42 chromosomes. [8]

Taxonomy

Malva parviflora was described by Carl Linnaeus and published in Demonstrationes Plantarum in Horto Upsaliensi MDCCLIII on October 3, 1753. [1]

The genus name Malva is from the Latin [9] word malva 'mallow'. [10] Mallow was described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia (20, LXXXIV). [11] The species name parviflora means 'small-flowered' and is a compound of the Latin words parvus 'small' and flores 'flowers'. [12]

Distribution and habitat

M. parviflora typically grows on agricultural lands and in disturbed sites such as roadsides. [7] Its native range extends from the Mediterranean, through West Asia, and to Central Asia and can be found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Spain, France, and Portugal. The species is widely naturalized elsewhere, [2] including in North America since the 19th century. [13] It is a naturalized weed in Australia. [14]

Toxicity

M. parviflora accumulates pollutants such as cadmium and chromium. [14] In nitrogen-rich soils, [13] the plant's leaves and seeds can be toxic to cattle and poultry due to an accumulation of nitrates. [7] If consumed in large amounts, the plant can damage energy homeostasis in horses, possibly due to its cyclopropene fatty acids. [14]

Uses

The entire plant is edible and can be eaten both raw and cooked. It has a mild flavor similar to chard and a mild, earthy aroma. [13]

M. parviflora has been used in infusions, decoctions, and poultices as part of traditional medicine. [8] In Mexico, M. parviflora is consumed as a quelite and used in traditional medicine to treat wounds and problems with digestion. [15] In the 20th century, naturalist Alfonso Herrera Fernández  [ es ] noted that the dried leaves were used in moisturizing poultices and that the flowers were used in infusions to induce perspiration. [16] Particularly in Zapotitlán, Puebla, the roots are used in infusions to treat dysentery. In Jordan, the leaves are used in infusions and poultices as an emollient, laxative, carminative, and anti-hemorrhoid. In Lebanon, the leaves are used in decoctions to treat catarrhs, kidney infections, kidney stones, respiratory infections, and constipation. In Ethiopia, the roots are used to treat asthma and wounds. [14]

Few clinical trials have tested the efficacy of M. parviflora's traditional uses. Preclinical studies have found that extracts from various parts of the plant have antimicrobial and antifungal properties. However, this effect is usually weaker than that of standard antibiotics. The roots and leaves have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The plant may have an anti-diabetic effect, but the effect’s strength is disputed. In mice, M. parviflora extracts have shown potential to treat hypertension and Alzheimer's. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Althaea officinalis</i> Species of plant

Althaea officinalis, the marsh mallow or marshmallow, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian times evolved into today's marshmallow treat, but most modern marshmallow treats no longer contain marsh-mallow root.

<i>Malva</i> Genus of flowering plants

Malva is a genus of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Europe.

<i>Malva moschata</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva moschata, the musk mallow or musk-mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to Europe and southwestern Asia, from Spain north to the British Isles and Poland, and east to southern Russia and Turkey. Growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall, it is a herbaceous perennial with hairy stems and foliage, and pink saucer-shaped flowers in summer.

<i>Ranunculus acris</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae

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<i>Rubus saxatilis</i> Species of plant

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<i>Epigaea repens</i> Species of flowering plant

Epigaea repens, the mayflower, trailing arbutus, or ground laurel, is a low, spreading shrub in the family Ericaceae. It is found from Newfoundland to Florida, west to Kentucky and the Northwest Territories.

<i>Malva alcea</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva alcea is a plant in the mallow family native to southwestern, central and eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Spain north to southern Sweden and east to Russia and Turkey.

<i>Malva sylvestris</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva sylvestris is a species of the mallow genus Malva, of which it the type species. Known as common mallow to English-speaking Europeans, it acquired the common names of cheeses, high mallow and tall mallow as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world.

<i>Viola adunca</i> Species of flowering plant

Viola adunca is a species of violet known by the common names hookedspur violet, early blue violet, sand violet, and western dog violet. It is native to meadows and forests of western North America, Canada, and the northern contiguous United States.

<i>Malva preissiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva preissiana, the Australian hollyhock or native hollyhock, is a herbaceous perennial in the family Malvaceae, found in all Australian states.

<i>Malva neglecta</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva neglecta is a species of plant of the family Malvaceae, native to most of the Old World except sub-Saharan Africa. It is an annual growing to 0.6 m (2 ft). It is known as common mallow in the United States and also as buttonweed, cheeseplant, cheeseweed, dwarf mallow, and roundleaf mallow. This plant is often consumed as a food, with its leaves, stalks and seed all being considered edible. This is especially true of the seeds, which contain 21% protein and 15.2% fat.

<i>Malva multiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Cornish mallow and Cretan hollyhock. It is native to western Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin, and it is naturalized in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as parts of Australia, South Africa, and California. This is an annual or biennial herb growing a tough, somewhat hairy stem to a maximum height between 1 and 3 meters. The leaves are multilobed with flat or wavy edges, slightly hairy, and up to 10 centimeters long. The plant bears small pink or light purple flowers with petals just over a centimeter long. The fruit is disc-shaped with 7 to 10 segments.

<i>Malva nicaeensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva nicaeensis is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names bull mallow and French mallow. It grows up to 60 centimetres (24 in) tall, producing pinkish flowers. It grows in the Middle East, where it has variously served as food.

<i>Malva punctata</i> Species of tree

Malva punctata, commonly called spotted-stalked tree-mallow or annual tree mallow, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Malva of the family Malvaceae.

<i>Malva verticillata</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva verticillata, also known as the Chinese mallow or cluster mallow, is a species of the mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae found in East Asia from Pakistan to China. M. verticillata is an annual or biennial that grow up to 1.7 meters in high and can inhabit woodland areas of different soil types. The small, symmetrical flowers have five white, pink or red petals (0.8 cm) and thirteen or more stamens. Each flower has three narrow epicalyx bracts. The fruit is a dry, hairless nutlet. The leaves are simple and alternate.

Malva pusilla, also known as Malva rotundifolia, the low mallow, small mallow, or the round-leaved mallow, is an annual and biennial herb species of the Mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae. Malva is a genus that consists of about 30 species of plants. This genus consists of plants named mallows. Mallows grow in many regions, including temperate, subtropical, and tropical areas.

The Iroquois use a wide variety of medicinal plants, including quinine, chamomile, ipecac, and a form of penicillin.

<i>Malva setigera</i> Species of plant in the mallow family.

Malva setigera, also known as Althaea hirsuta, the rough marsh-mallow, hairy marsh-mallow, hispid marsh-mallow or hairy mallow, is a species of annual herb in the family Malvaceae. It has a self-supporting growth form and simple, broad leaves. Individuals can grow to 28 cm (11 in).

<i>Alcea digitata</i> Species of flowering plant

Alcea digitata, the fingered hollyhock, is a tall hollyhock with large flowers native to the Middle East.

Malva unguiculata, the bryony-leaved tree-mallow, is a very tall perennial tree-mallow with large pink flowers native to the East Mediterranean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Malva parviflora". WFO Plant List. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Malva parviflora". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  3. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. 1 2 3 "Malva parviflora". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "New South Wales Flora Online: Malva parviflora". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  6. ↑ "Malva parviflora L." Electronic Flora of South Australia Fact Sheet. State Herbarium of South Australia. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Little mallow (cheeseweed)". UC IPM. Regents of the University of California. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Malva" (PDF). Flora Iberica. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  9. ↑ "Malva sylvestris". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Charlton T. (1890). An Elementary Latin Dictionary. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: American Book Company. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  11. ↑ B. Thayer, Pliny the Elder: the Natural History, Liber XX
  12. ↑ "Tamarix parviflora". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 "Foraged Mallow (Cheeseweed)". Specialty Produce. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Sharifi-Rad, Javad; Melgar-Lalanne, Guiomar; Hernández-Álvarez, Alan Javier; Taheri, Yasaman; Shaheen, Shabnum; Kregiel, Dorota; Antolak, Hubert; Pawlikowska, Ewelina; Brdar-Jokanović, Milka; Rajkovic, Jovana; Hosseinabadi, Tahereh; Ljevnaić-Mašić, Branka; Baghalpour, Navid; Mohajeri, Maryam; Fokou, Patrick Valere Tsouh; Martins, Natália (11 November 2019). "Malva species: Insights on its chemical composition towards pharmacological applications". Phytotherapy Research . doi:10.1002/ptr.6550.
  15. ↑ Mendiola Almaraz, Lorena (2005-04-29). "Análisis biodirigido de Malva parviflora para validar su uso tradicional como auxiliar en el tratamiento de la gastritis" . Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  16. ↑ "Malva". Biblioteca digital de la medicina tradicional mexicana (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-20.
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