Common Name:

General Information

Malva alcea is a herbaceous perennial plant with erect stems that can grow 30 - 130cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens.
Malva alcea is sometimes grown as an ornamental in N. America, where it can escape from cultivation. It has become naturalized locally, primarily in New England and around the Great Lakes into eastern Canada[].

Known Hazards

Although we have seen no reports of toxicity for this species, when grown on nitrogen rich soils (and particularly when these are cultivated inorganically), the leaves of some species tend to concentrate high levels of nitrates in their leaves[]. The leaves are perfectly wholesome at all other times.

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe - Sweden to Spain, east to Ukraine and Greece; W. Asia - Turkey

Habitat

Gardens, vineyards, parks and waste places[]. Disturbed areas, roadsides, old farm sites; at elevations up to 400 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil[], though it prefers a reasonably well-drained and moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[]. Tolerant of some drought[]. Prefers a position sheltered from strong winds[].
A very ornamental and polymorphic plant[, ]. It tends to be quite short-lived in cultivation but usually self-sows when well-sited[, ]. It is closely related to Malva excisa[].
If the plant is cut back to the ground as it comes into flower, then it will produce a fresh flush of leaves for salads[].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[] and are seldom bothered by slugs[].
Plants are prone to infestation by rust fungus[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[]. The leaves and young shoots are used as a spinachlike vegetable[]. A mild pleasant flavour[]. The leaves are mucilaginous and fairly bland, this is a very good perennial substitute for lettuce in a salad, producing fresh leaves from spring until the middle of summer, or until the autumn from self-sown plants[].

Flowers - raw[]. A very decorative addition to the salad bowl, they have a mild flavour and a texture similar to the leaves[].

Seed - raw[]. Best used before it is fully mature, the seed has a pleasant nutty taste but it is rather small and fiddly to harvest[]. Children collect the young fruit of this plant, as also that of other mallow species, and eat them as a delicacy[].

Medicinal

The plant is valued for its high mucilate content and is used both internally and externally in popular medicine. Taken internally, it is used in the treatment of inflammatory and catarrhal conditions[].
The plant is used as a mouth wash, and is applied externally as a demulcent remedy for treating burns and skin irritations[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A useful bee plant, the flowers abound in nectar[].

Other Uses

A coarse fibre obtained from the stem is used for making cordage[].

Cream, yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the plant and the seed heads[].

The seed yields 15% oil[]. The uses of this oil have not been given though it is almost certainly edible[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in early spring in a cold frame. The seed germinates quickly and easily. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in their permanent positions in the early summer[].
If you have sufficient seed then it can be sown outdoors in situ in the middle to late spring.
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.