Common Name: Musk Mallow

General Information

Malva moschata is an erect, usually branched, perennial plant; it can grow 20 - 130cm tall[, ].
The plant has a long history of use as a food and a medicine. The young leaves are of very good quality for use as a salad, though the plant is mainly grown as an ornamental.
The plant is often grown as an ornamental and has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in many areas. In N. America it is often found in temperate northern and coastal areas[].

Known Hazards

When grown on nitrogen rich soils (and particularly when these are used inorganically), the plant tends to concentrate high levels of nitrates in its leaves[]. The leaves are perfectly wholesome at all other times.

Botanical References

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Range

Europe - Britain to Spain, east to Poland, Italy and Greece; W. Asia - Turkey

Habitat

Grassy places, pastures, hedgebanks etc, especially on rich soils, avoiding acid soils[]. Meadows, coppices, wood margins, gardens and parks, ruderal sites and rubbish dumps[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.80 m
Pollinators	Bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Malva moschata is very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c[].
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[].
A very ornamental plant[]. It is very variable in form, especially with regard to the degree of laciniation of the leaves[]. The crushed leaves have a musk-like smell[].
Plants are generally quite short-lived though they can self-sow freely when in a suitable position and usually more than maintain themselves[, ].
If the plant is pruned back to the main branches as it comes into flower, then it will produce a fresh flush of leaves in late summer for salad use[].
The plant has a musky aroma[].
A good plant for the summer meadow[].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[].
Prone to infestation by rust fungus[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[]. A mild pleasant flavour[]. The leaves are mucilaginous and fairly bland, we use them in bulk in summer salads[]. They make 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 spring germinating plants[].

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

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[].

Medicinal

All parts of the plant are antiphlogistic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, laxative, salve[, , , , , , ]. The leaves and flowers can be eaten as part of the diet, or a tea can be made from the leaves, flowers or roots[].
This species has similar properties, but is considered to be inferior, to the common mallow (Malva sylvestris) and the marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) and is seldom used internally[].

The leaves and flowers are the main part used, their demulcent properties making them valuable as a poultice for bruise, inflammations, insect bites etc, or taken internally in the treatment of respiratory system diseases or inflammation of the digestive or urinary systems[, ].

The plant is an excellent laxative for young children[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A good bee plant - the flowers are a rich source of nectar[].

Other Uses

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

A fibre obtained from the stems is used for cordage, textiles and paper making[]. A course fibre of no economic importance[].

An extract of the flowers is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a humectant and skin conditioner[].
An extract of the leaves is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].
An extract of the roots is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin protector[].

The seeds contain a greenish oil with iodine number 108.5[].

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.
Cuttings of side shoots, mid summer in a cold frame[].