Malva sylvestris

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Malva sylvestris
Mallow January 2008-1.jpg
Type species for Malva L.
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. sylvestris
Binomial name
Malva sylvestris
L.
Synonyms   [1] [2]
  • Malva ambiguaGuss.
  • Malva mauritianaL.
  • Malva erectaC.Presl
  • Malva gymnoscarpaPomel

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, [3] it acquired the common names of cheeses, high mallow and tall mallow (mauve des bois by the French) [4] as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world. [5]

Contents

M. sylvestris is a vigorous plant with showy flowers of bright mauve-purple, with dark veins, standing 3–4 feet (0.91–1.22 m) high and growing freely in meadows, hedgerows and in fallow fields. [6]

Common names

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). [7]

Description

Common mallow is a herbaceous perennial with an erect or decumbent branched stem up to 1 m (sometimes 1.5 m) long. The minutely-ridged stems are covered with fine soft hairs, sometimes with a slightly bulbous base. The leaves are alternate, with a petiole up to 20 cm long, simple but palmate, up to 7 cm long by 10 cm wide, with stellate hairs (i.e. several strands radiating from a common center) and prominent veins on the underside. [8] [9]

Flower Malva sylvestris (1).jpg
Flower

The flowers are reddish-purple with dark stripes and occur in axillary clusters of 2 to 4 along the main stem with the flowers at the base opening first. There are 5 petals, each being up to 20 mm long, and 5 sepals, 3-6 mm long, which are fused in the lower half, and have broadly triangular lobes. There is also an epicalyx (or false calyx) with oblong segments, two-thirds as long as calyx lobes (2–3 mm long x 1.5 mm wide). [5] [10]

Fruits

Nutlets strongly reticulate (10–12 mericarps, usually without hair, with sharp angle between dorsal and lateral surfaces, 5–6 mm in diameter. [3] [5]

Seeds

Also called 'cheeses,' [6] seeds are brown to brownish green when ripe, about 2.5 millimeters long and wide [5] [11] 5 to 7 millimeters in diameter [11] and are shaped like a cheese wheel.

Distribution and habitat

Malva sylvestris spreads itself on waste and rough ground, by roads and railways throughout lowland England, Wales and Channel Islands, Siberia and scattered elsewhere. [3] [9] One of the major areas that Malva sylvestris grows is northeast and central Iran. It is also found in North Africa, [12] grows as a biennial [5] [9] in the Mediterranean [12] and grows as a perennial elsewhere. [12] [11] It has been introduced to and has become naturalised in eastern Australia, [11] in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as an invasive species. [9]

In the wild

Palearctic :
Macaronesia: Azores, Madeira Islands
Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia
Western Asia: Afghanistan, Sinai, Iran, Palestine, 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, Cyprus
Southwestern Europe: Balearic Islands, Corsica, France, Portugal, Spain

Source: USDA ARS GRIN [4]

Uses

M. sylvestris in a 19th-century illustration Malva sylvestris - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-222.jpg
M. sylvestris in a 19th-century illustration

Mauve, n. F., mallow, L. malva . So named from the similarity of the color to that of the petals of common mallow, {Malva sylvestris}.

Webster's Dictionary

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 properties in a superior degree, but it is still a favorite remedy with country people where marsh-mallow is not obtainable." [6] The flowers were spread on doorways and woven into garlands or chaplets for celebrating May Day. [6] The boiled young leaves are a vegetable eaten in several parts of Europe in the 19th century. [13]

M. sylvestris has traditionally been used around the world as a wild food plant, from the Mediterranean [14] and Middle East, including Palestine [15] and Italy, [16] to the Caucasus. [17]

In Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine, Malva leaves are steamed with garlic and tomatoes, and eaten as an appetizer or salad. In Egypt, the leaves are made into a stew-like vegetable dish, especially in winter, known as khobeiza, which is similar to Molokheia. [18]

In traditional medicine, M. sylvestris has been used in herbalism. Mucilage is present in many of the family Malvaceae including M. sylvestris, [19] [20] especially the fruit. [21] The seeds are used internally in a decoction or herbal tea as a demulcent, [13] and the leaves may be used in poultices as an emollient for external applications. [21]

The species has long been used as a natural yellow dye, [22] and dyes of various yellow-green colors can be obtained from the plant and its seeds. [23] A tincture of the flowers can make a sensitive test for alkalis. [6]

M. sylvestris has also been used for veterinary purposes. [24]

Subspecies

Plants previously often described as Malva sylvestris var. malaca are now considered a cultivar group Malva sylvestris Mauritiana group. [12]

Cultivation

The cultivar 'Zebrina', selected for its striped petals MalopeTrifida1.jpg
The cultivar 'Zebrina', selected for its striped petals

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: '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' (soft lavender-purple striped with deep maroon veins) [25] and 'Zebrina Zebra Magis'.

Cultivar groups

The cultivar 'Maria's Blue Eyes' Maria's Blue Eyes 01.jpg
The cultivar 'Maria's Blue Eyes'
'Bibor Felho'
'Moravia'
Marina 'Dema'
'Primley Blue'
'Maria's Blue Eyes' (dark violet-blue flowered)

Virus

Malva vein clearing potyvirus which is transmitted by mechanical inoculation in a non-persistent manner via insects, such as 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. [26] [27]

Chemistry

M. sylvestris contains malvin and malonylmalvin. [28] It also contains the naphthoquinone malvone A, which is also a phytoalexin. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malvaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao, roselle and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ornamentals, such as Alcea (hollyhock), Malva (mallow), and Tilia. The genera with the largest numbers of species include Hibiscus, Pavonia, Sida, Ayenia, Dombeya, and Sterculia.

<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 any 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>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 thuringiaca</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva thuringiaca, the garden tree-mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from southern Germany south to Italy, and east to southern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.

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

Malva arborea, the tree mallow, is a species of mallow native to the coasts of western Europe and the Mediterranean region, from Ireland and Britain south to Algeria and Libya, and east to Greece.

<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.

Malva vein clearing virus also known as MVCV is a species of Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae that was isolated in 1957 from Malva sylvestris in Germany which is transmitted by the aphids Aphis umbrella and Myzus persicae. The insects mechanically inoculate the malvaceous hosts.

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

Malva parviflora is an annual or perennial herb that is native to Northern Africa, Europe and Asia and is widely naturalised elsewhere. Common names include cheeseweed, cheeseweed mallow, Egyptian mallow, least mallow, little mallow, mallow, marshmallow, small-flowered mallow, small-flowered marshmallowNafa Shak and smallflower mallow. It typically grows on agricultural lands and in disturbed sites such as roadsides.

<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.

Hibiscus cravenii is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia.

<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.

<i>Malva hispanica</i> Species of plant in the genus Malva

Malva hispanica, the Spanish mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to the western Mediterranean. Uniquely in its genus, Malva hispanica flowers possess a bilobed epicalyx, which is derived from an ancestral trimerous structure and represents a loss of the adaxial epicalyx lobe.

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

Malva setigera, also known as Althaea hirsuta, the rough marsh-mallow or hairy marshmallow, 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).

Malvella sherardiana, or Sherard's malvella, is a perennial plant native to Spain and from Greece to Crimea, southeastward to Iran, the only old world species in the genus Malvella.

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. ↑ "Flora Europaea Search Results". Flora Europaea. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh . Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  2. ↑ "Malva sylvestris L. record n° 81830". African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 C. Stace. R. van der Meijden, I. de Kort (eds.). "Malva sylvestris (Mallow, Common)". Interactive Flora of NW Europe. Netherlands Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 9 May 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (20 May 1992). "Taxon: Malva sylvestris L." Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 9 May 2008.[ dead link ]
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Flora of Pakistan. "Malva sylvestris Linn" . Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 M. Grieve (1931). "MALLOW, BLUE". A Modern Herbal. Botanical.com.
  7. ↑ Sinclair P (7 October 1999). "creeping charlie". Plantbio mailing list (Mailing list). Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Poland J, Clement E (2009). The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. Southampton: John Poland. ISBN   978-0-9560144-0-5.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Britton N, Addison Brown (1913). "CYRILLACEAE". An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions. Volume II, Amaranthaceae to Loganiaceae. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 2052 pages. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  10. ↑ Stace C (2019). New Flora of the British Isles. Suffolk: C & M Floristics. ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2.
  11. 1 2 3 4 National Herbarium of New South Wales. "Search PlantNET". New South Wales FloraOnline. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney . Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Stewart Robert Hinsley. "Malva sylvestris (section Malva, in part)". The Malva Pages. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  13. 1 2 Hiley JS (1841). "On the medical botany of the province of Halifax". In Thomas Wakley (ed.). The Lancet, In Two Volumes (Volume The Second ed.). J. Onwhyn. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  14. ↑ Barros L, Carvalho AM, Ferreira IC (June 2010). "Leaves, flowers, immature fruits and leafy flowered stems of Malva sylvestris: A comparative study of the nutraceutical potential and composition". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 48 (6): 1466–1472. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2010.03.012. PMID   20233600.
  15. ↑ Ali-Shtayeh MS, Jamous RM, Al-Shafie' JH, et al. (12 May 2008). "Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in Palestine (Northern West Bank): A comparative study". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 4 (1): 13. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-4-13 . PMC   2396604 . PMID   18474107.
  16. ↑ Guarrera P, Savo V (June 2016). "Wild food plants used in traditional vegetable mixtures in Italy". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 185: 202–234. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.050. PMID   26944238.
  17. ↑ Batsatsashvili K, Mehdiyeva NP, Fayvush G, et al. (2017). "Malva neglecta Wallr. Malva sylvestris L. Malvaceae". Ethnobotany of the Caucasus. European Ethnobotany. pp. 395–403. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49412-8_115. ISBN   978-3-319-49411-1.
  18. ↑ "CVAR | Did You Know? Molokhia/Moloha". CVAR | Did You Know? Molokhia/Moloha. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  19. ↑ Balfour JH (1863). "Products and Secretions of Plants". A manual of botany: being an introduction to the study of the structure, physiology, and classification of plants. Edinburgh: A & C Black . Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  20. ↑ Balfour JH (1863). "Malvaceae". A manual of botany: being an introduction to the study of the structure, physiology, and classification of plants. Edinburgh: A & C Black . Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  21. 1 2 Dey KL, Mair W (1896). "Indigenous Drugs of India". The indigenous drugs of India: short descriptive notices of the principal medicinal products met with in British India. Thacker, Spink & Co. pp. 387 pages. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  22. ↑ Bailey LH (1910). "Dyes and Dyeing. C.S. Doggert". Cyclopedia of American agriculture: a popular survey of agricultural conditions, practices and ideals in the United States and Canada, In Four Volumes. Volume II --Crops. Macmillan Publishers. pp. 2016 pages. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  23. ↑ "Malva sylvestris L." Plants for a Future . Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  24. ↑ Gasparetto JC, Martins CA, Hayashi SS, et al. (4 January 2012). "Ethnobotanical and scientific aspects of Malva sylvestris L.: a millennial herbal medicine". Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 64 (2): 172–189. doi:10.1111/j.2042-7158.2011.01383.x. PMID   22221093. S2CID   40277008.
  25. ↑ Heritage Perennials: Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'
  26. ↑ "00.057.0.81.049. Malva vein clearing virus". ICTVdB Management. Columbia University. 2006. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  27. ↑ Brunt, A.A., Crabtree, K., Dallwitz, M.J., Gibbs, A.J., Watson, L., Zurcher, E.J., eds. (August 1996). "Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database: Malva vein clearing potyvirus". Plant Viruses Online. University of Idaho. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  28. ↑ Takeda K, Enoki S, Harborne JB, et al. (January 1989). "Malonated anthocyanins in malvaceae: Malonylmalvin from Malva sylvestris". Phytochemistry. 28 (2): 499–500. Bibcode:1989PChem..28..499T. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(89)80040-8.
  29. ↑ Veshkurova O, Golubenko Z, Pshenichnov E, et al. (November 2006). "Malvone A, a phytoalexin found in Malva sylvestris (family Malvaceae)". Phytochemistry. 67 (21): 2376–2379. Bibcode:2006PChem..67.2376V. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.08.010. PMID   16996095.
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