The wild mallow is one of the oldest vegetables and medicinal plants in existence. But the plant also cuts a fine figure as a summer flower in the garden with its beautiful flowers. Wild mallows are undemanding and are easy to care for in the garden or in containers. A profile.
What is the profile of the Wild Mallow?
The wild mallow (Malva sylvestris) is a perennial, usually biennial plant of the mallow family that bears pink, lilac-violet, white or purple flowers from May to September. It grows to a height of 50 to 150 cm, prefers sunny locations and can be used both as an ornamental plant and as a medicinal plant.
Wild mallow – a profile
- Botanical name: Malva sylvestris
- popular names: large cheese poplar, carrot mallow
- Plant family: Mallow family (Malvaceae)
- Location: as sunny as possible
- Perennial: mostly biennial
- Height: 50 to 150 centimeters
- Leaves: green, ivy-like
- Flowers: pink, purple-violet, white, purple
- Flowering period: May to September
- Propagation: self-sowing
- Toxicity: not poisonous
- Use in the garden: ornamental plant, some species suitable for containers
- Use as a medicinal plant: colds, inflammation
Particularly beautiful varieties of wild mallow
| Variety name | Flower color | Growth height | Special features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Fountain | blue-violet | up to 120 cm | blue flower with violet background |
| Inky Stripe | pink-violet | up to 100 cm | pink flower with purple stripes |
| Demar Marina | blue-violet | up to 150 cm | suitable as a pot plant |
| Zebrina | white-violet | up to 100 cm | suitable as a pot plant |
| Mystic Merlin | violet, blue, purple | up to 150 cm | multi-colored variety |
| Mauritania | dark purple | up to 100 cm | very large flowers |
| Roy March | violet | up to 100 cm | striped flower |
The wild mallow as a medicinal plant
Wild mallows were once used universally to treat a wide variety of diseases and ailments. The plant contains mucilage, tannins and essential oils.
Today, wild mallow is used as a medicinal plant for colds and inflammation of the mouth and throat.
Wild mallow in the kitchen
While wild mallow is consumed as a vegetable in southern European cuisine, it is rarely used as a culinary herb in our latitudes.
Older leaves contain a lot of mucilage, which reduces the enjoyment. However, it is worth trying to serve the young leaves in a salad. They taste very delicate.
Tea can be made from the flowers of the wild mallow. The pretty inflorescences also look very decorative on vegetable plates or as a decoration for soups.
Tip
Wild mallows also look great in pots. Since they develop very long taproots, they are not suitable for balcony boxes. The plant pot should be at least 60 centimeters deep.