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Malva sylvestris is a species of the mallow genus Malva, of which it the type species.Known as common mallow to English-speaking Europeans, [3] it acquired the common names of cheeses, high mallow and tall mallow (mauve des bois by the French) [4] as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world.
In the Levant, Malva nicaeensis leaves and fruit are used as food (e.g., khubeza patties). Mild tasting, young mallow leaves [which?] can be a substitute for lettuce, whereas older leaves are better cooked as a leafy green vegetable. The buds and flowers can be used in salads. Small fruits that grow on the plants can also be eaten raw. [5]
Mallow was an edible vegetable among the Romans; a dish of marsh mallow was one of their delicacies. Prospero Alpini stated in 1592 that a plant of the mallow kind was eaten by the Egyptians . Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria subsisted for weeks on herbs, of which marshmallow is one of the most common.
The genus name Malva is from the Latin [9] word malva 'mallow'. [10] Mallow was described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia (20, LXXXIV). [11] The species name parviflora means 'small-flowered' and is a compound of the Latin words parvus 'small' and flores 'flowers'. [12]
The plant carries the flowers solitary or in two-flowered cymes opposite of the leaf. The flowers sit on the end of a short stem, count 5 sepals, 5 petals and 10 free and yellow stamina. The fruit is spindle-shaped, dehiscent and divided into transversal sections through five valves.
Malva pusilla, also known as Malva rotundifolia (the latter of which is now officially rejected by botanists) [citation needed], the low mallow, [2] small mallow, [3] or the round-leaved mallow, is an annual and biennial herb species of the Mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae. Malva is a genus that consists of about 30 species of plants.
Malva nicaeensis is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names bull mallow [1] and French mallow. [2] It grows up to 60 centimetres (24 in) tall, producing pinkish flowers. It grows in the Middle East, where it has variously served as food.
Malva multiflora (previously known as Lavatera cretica) is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Cornish mallow and Cretan hollyhock.It is native to western Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin, and it is naturalized in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as parts of Australia, South Africa, and California.