| Malva sylvestris |
|
| Type species for Malva L. |
|
| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| Clade: |
Tracheophytes |
| Clade: |
Angiosperms |
| Clade: |
Eudicots |
| Clade: |
Rosids |
| Order: |
Malvales |
| Family: |
Malvaceae |
| Genus: |
Malva |
| Species: |
M. sylvestris |
| Binomial name |
Malva sylvestris
L. |
|
| Varieties |
- M. sylvestris var. oxyloba
- M. sylvestris var. sylvestris
|
| Synonyms |
-
- Althaea godronii Alef.
- Althaea mauritiana Alef.
- Althaea vulgaris (Gray) Alef.
- Malva acutiloba Sennen
- Malva acutiloba K.Koch
- Malva albiflora C.Presl
- Malva altissima Sennen
- Malva ambigua Guss.
- Malva aragonensis Sennen
- Malva ciliata Wall.
- Malva elata Pomel
- Malva elata Salisb.
- Malva equina Wallr.
- Malva erecta C.Presl
- Malva erevaniana Takht.
- Malva glabra Desr.
- Malva grossheimii Iljin
- Malva gymnocarpa Pomel
- Malva hirsuta Viv.
- Malva longilobata Sennen
- Malva lucida Lindl.
- Malva major Garsault
- Malva martrinii Rouy
- Malva mauritanica Spreng.
- Malva mauritiana L.
- Malva obtusa Moench
- Malva orientalis Mill.
- Malva plebeia Steven
- Malva polymorpha Guss.
- Malva pumila Retz.
- Malva racemosa C.Presl
- Malva recta Opiz
- Malva rotundifolia Cav.
- Malva ruderalis Salisb.
- Malva tetuanensis Pau
- Malva tomentella C.Presl
- Malva vivianiana Rouy
- Malva vulgaris Gray
- Malva zebrina Anon.
|
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 (mauve des bois by the French) as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world.
M. sylvestris is a vigorous plant with showy flowers of bright mauve-purple, with dark veins, standing 0.91–1.22 metres (3–4 ft) high and growing freely in meadows, hedgerows and in fallow fields.