Leaf
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Musk mallow
Malva moschata L.
Family: Malvaceae
40 to 80 cm tall
Meadows, banks, gardens, ordinary soils
Flowering: June – September
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its crushed foliage gives off a faint musky scent, hence its name. 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
Deeply cut into fine strips, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Large pale pink flowers with 5 notched petals, faintly musky
🍎 Fruits
Small fruits in a segmented disc
🪵 Bark
Upright herbaceous clump, hairy stems
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, North Africa; fairly common in meadows and dry banks in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Large pale pink flowers rich in pollen, much visited by bees.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Perennial beds, borders, flowering meadows; faintly musky foliage when crushed.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity, edible plant.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Musk mallow
Malva moschata
Common mallow
Malva sylvestris
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
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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