Common Mallow
Malva neglecta is a small edible perennial herb with a beautiful white, pink, or purple bloom. Every part of this plant is edible, and the plant has been used in many cultures as a staple vegetable.
Scientific name: Malva neglecta
Common name: Common Mallow, Dwarf Mallow, Cheeseweed
Plant Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Etymology: Malva is derived from the Greek word Malkos, meaning “soft” or “soothing,” which could refer to the plant’s emollient properties. Neglecta means “overlooked" or “neglected.”
Traditional Uses
Mallow originates from Northern Africa and Eurasia, where it was widely used as an edible and medicinal herb. Members of the mallow family were historically regarded as a nutritional staple in Ancient Rome, where the vegetable’s roots and leaves were considered delicacies, and in China. A more widely known variety of mallow, marshmallow, was notoriously used in Egypt to create the marshmallow, a popular confection in the modern day, despite the fact that modern marshmallows contain no trace of the plant. Marsh mallow was also used medicinally as a cure-all by the Romans and Aztecs, and the Arikara, Iroquois, Cherokee, Mahuma, and Navajo nations in North America had many medicinal applications of the plant. It is unclear whether or not common mallow was used similarly historically, but there is evidence that Malva neglecta shares some of its relative’s properties, so it is possible.
Medicinal Uses
Malva neglecta is most commonly used as face wash or mask, as the emollient properties of the plant make it suitable for soothing skin. The leaves, flowers, and roots can be eaten or made into a tea for use as a laxative, to soothe inflammation. Common mallow shares many uses with its relative marshmallow, but it is considered medicinally inferior to it.
Edible Parts
The leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots are all edible. Common mallow flowers throughout spring, summer, and fall, during which time the fruits can also be found. The fruits are best eaten young before the seeds have matured. The leaves, flowers, and fruits can all be used raw or cooked.
Gathering and Using
All parts of the plant can be harvested from early spring to late fall. When cooked, the leaves, roots, and fruits are mucilaginous, and can be used to thicken soups and stews. The roots can be used similarly to marshmallow, as they can be boiled with water to create an egg white substitute in meringues, or used to make marshmallows, but common mallow roots tend to create a thinner, less stiff foam than marshmallow roots.
Permaculture Functions and Considerations
Edible fruits, shoots, leaves, and roots, wildlife food and habitat, erosion control, groundcover, pollinator habitat.
Habitat
Malva neglecta can be found practically anywhere; a hardy perennial herb, the plant thrives along walkways, on the edges of gardens and lawns, in grasslands, in fields, and even in tropical areas. Common mallow is incredibly resilient to cold, but is also very well adapted to warm or tropical climates. Although it prefers fertile, aerated soils, common mallow survives exceptionally well in compacted, poor quality soil, and over time improves the soil quality where it grows. Malva neglecta comes up in early spring and dies off in early to mid-winter, but can survive year-round in warmer climates.
How to Identify
Common mallow can be identified by its alternating circular, serrated leaves with wavy edges and its distinctive white, pink, or purple, 5-petaled flowers. The plant can stand up to two feet tall or run along the ground depending on growing conditions. The leaves can be anywhere from half an inch wide to 2 inches across, and stems and leaves are hairy.
Wildlife Support
Malva neglecta is a pollinator plant, and can be used to improve soil quality.
Sources
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Blair, Katrina. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds : 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2014.
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Brill, Steve, and Evelyn Dean. Identifying & Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants. Harper Collins, 2010.
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Kallas, John. Edible Wild Plants : Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate. Gibbs Smith, 2010.
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Meredith, Leda. Northeast Foraging : 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries. Timber Press, 2014.