E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of BC

Malva sylvestris L.
common mallow (high mallow)
Malvaceae (Mallow family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

Map

Distribution of Malva sylvestris
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Species Information

General:
Annual or biennial herb from a taproot; stems spreading to erect, branched, 20-50 cm tall, with sparse, spreading, simple hairs.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves alternate, blades much shorter than the stalks, heart-to egg-shaped, 3-7 cm long, upper leaves shallowly lobed, lobes toothed; stipules 2-4 mm long.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of many flowers in axillary clusters or subterminal panicles; petals 5, deep bluish-purple, 1.5-2.5 cm long; calyces 6-8 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes half as long as wide, hairy, the hairs star-shaped, the bracteoles oblong or egg-shaped.

Fruits:
Carpels, numerous in flat disks, wrinkled, sparsely hairy; seeds 1.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry roadsides and waste places in the lowland zone; rare on S Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and Vancouver; introduced from Europe.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Malva mauritiana L.
Malva sylvestris subsp. mauritiana (L.) Thellung
Malva sylvestris var. mauritiana (L.) Boiss.

Taxonomic Keys

KEY TO MALVACEAE

1. Stigmas extending full length on the inner surfaces of the style branches.

2. Calyces with basal bractlets; carpels beakless ....................Malva
2. Calyces without basal bractlets; carpels beaked ............................Sidalcea

1. Stigmas terminal and head-like.

3. Leaves heart-shaped and toothed; petals yellow...............Abutilon
3. Leaves mapleleaf-like or kidney-shaped and lobed; petals not yellow, colors various.

4. Petals usually more than 2 cm long; leaves 4-15 cm long; carpels glabrous on the sides, opening the full length at maturity.........................Iliamna
4. Petals 1-2 cm long; leaves 2-6 cm long; carpels strongly net-veined on the basal half of the sides, remaining closed at the bases at maturity ..................Sphaeralcea

KEY TO MALVA

1. Upper stem leaves dissected into linear segments; petals 2-3 cm long .................... M. moschata
1. Upper stem leaves shallowly lobed; petals 0.4-2.5 cm long.

2. Petals 1.5-2.5 cm long; calyx bracteoles egg-shaped or oblong ......................... M. sylvestris
2. Petals 0.4-1.2 cm long; calyx bracteoles linear.

3. Carpels rounded and glabrous (except for the short hairs) on the backs; petals 2-4 times as long as the calyces ....................M. neglecta
3. Carpels flattened and wrinkled on the backs; petals from shorter to only slightly longer than the calyces.

4. Petal claws glabrous; carpels with narrowly winged, minutely toothed angles; calyces papery and greatly enlarged in fruit........... M. parviflora
4. Petal claws fringed or bearded; carpels with sharp-pointed wingless angles; calyces green and barely enlarged in fruit .........M. rotundifolia

Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia