Common Mallow

Malva sylvestris

Plant Data

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae (Mallow)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Pink, 5 petals

Pinkish-purple with dark veins, up to 4cm. 5 notched petals. Flower stalks are slender.

Fruit:

Round, flat, cheese-like wedges (nutlets) in 10 to 20 sections. This flower is sometimes called 'cheeseweed' because of the shape of its fruit. The fruit are also net-veined and sharp-edged.

Leaves:

The leaves are palmately lobed, toothed and stalked.

Maximum Size:

150 centimetres tall

Foraging Notes:

All parts of the plant are edible and it has a similar taste to spinach.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Blue Mallow, Bread-and-cheese, Cheese Cakes, Cheese Flower, Cheese Plant, Cheeses, Cheeseweed, Country Mallow, Creeping Charlie, High Mallow, Hock, Hock Herb, Low Mallow, Marsh Mallow, Mauls, Maws, Pick-cheese, Round Dock, Tall Mallow, Wild Mallow, Wood Mallow.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Habitats:

Farmland, gardens, grassland, hedgerows, roadsides, seaside, wasteland.