How do you recognise Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)?

Leaf

Julien CHAMP, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Common mallow

Malva sylvestris L.

Also known as: High mallow, Blue mallow

Family: Malvaceae

50 cm to 1.2 m

Wasteland, path edges, rubble

Flowering: May – September

Full sun

Part shade

Very hardy, to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The round, ribbed fruit looks like a tiny wheel of cheese — nicknamed 'little cheeses' by children. Common mallow has large bright pink flowers with dark purple veins and rounded, barely lobed leaves, whereas musk mallow has paler flowers and a musky scent, with deeply cut upper leaves.

🍃 Leaves

Rounded, with 5-7 shallow lobes, long-stalked

🌸 Flowers

Pink-violet, veined darker, five notched petals

🍎 Fruits

Small round, flat fruit, shaped like a miniature wheel of cheese

🪵 Bark

Upright herbaceous stem, slightly hairy

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, western Asia, North Africa; very common in France on banks and waste ground

🐝 Value for pollinators

Large pink-violet flowers rich in nectar, much visited by bees all summer

✂️ Horticultural uses

Grown in cottage-style beds and borders for its long, colourful flowering

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity; edible plant traditionally used in herbal medicine

⚠️ Look-alike species

Common mallow

Malva sylvestris

Musk mallow

Malva moschata

Common mallow has large bright pink flowers with dark purple veins and rounded, barely lobed leaves, whereas musk mallow has paler flowers and a musky scent, with deeply cut upper leaves.

🌿 Other Malvaceae to discover

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.