Description
Malva moschata | Musk Mallow ‘Rosea
Mallows are one of the most notable and important plant families in the world. They make wonderful ornamental garden plants, and are also widely cultivated as herbs or for food. There are over 1000 species of mallows, and although most of them are tropical, many are suitable as perennial ornamentals in temperate gardens.
Musk Mallow is a dainty relative of common mallow. Native to Europe and Turkey, it’s showy, rosy-pink flowers, feathery leaves, and a musky odor are the main identifiable features of this beautiful roadside plant. Blooming from June to August, the five-petaled flowers are usually pale pink, but white ones may also be found. The lower leaves are long-stalked, kidney shaped and divided, while the upper leaves are decorative, being deeply cut into five-to-seven narrow, feathery lobes.
Malva moschata favors dry places and may be found on roadside verges, in hedgerows, pastures and along the edges of fields. It’s an easily grown plant that succeeds in ordinary garden soil, although it prefers a reasonably well-drained and moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. Plants generally act as short-lived perennials and can self-sow freely when in a suitable position, so can maintain their numbers.
The root shares similar properties to that of common mallow, but both have been usurped medicinally by the Marsh Mallow. It can be used for coughs and bronchitis, irritation of the gastro intestinal system, and as an aphrodisiac. All parts of the plant are antiphlogistic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, and laxative.
Its flowers, seeds, and young leaves and shoots are all edible, and a tea can be made from the leaves, flowers or roots. The leaves have a mild pleasant flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. The flowers, raw, as well as the seeds, which have a nutty taste.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to light shade.
Mature height: 2-3 ft
Mature width: 18-24 inches
Hardiness zones: 3-10
