Malva neglecta explained
Malva neglecta is a species of plant of the family Malvaceae, native to most of the Old World except sub-Saharan Africa. It is an annual growing to 0.6 m (2 ft). It is known as common mallow in the United States and also as buttonweed, cheeseplant, cheeseweed, dwarf mallow, and roundleaf mallow.This plant is often consumed as a food, with its leaves, stalks and seed all being considered edible.[1] [2] [3] This is especially true of the seeds, which contain 21% protein and 15.2% fat.[4]
Description
Dwarf mallow is a prostrate, downy, annual herbaceous plant, growing to approximately 60 cm. The leaves are alternate with long, strongly channeled petioles (up to 12 cm) and narrowly triangular stipules. Each leaf is reniform or with 5–7 shallow lobes, the basal leaves are 3–7 cm. The flowers are single-stalked and occur in clusters of 2–5 in the leaf axils. The flower stalks are shorter than the leaf stalks, with the leaves partially obscuring the flowers. The fruits are schizocarps, which split into 10–12 mericarps (nutlets) and are smooth and hairy.[5] [6]
Distribution
- Native
Palearctic
Macaronesia: Canary Islands
Northern Africa: Algeria, Morocco
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia
Western Asia: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Sinai, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Turkey
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Soviet Middle Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Mongolia: Mongolia
China: Xinjiang
Indian Subcontinent: India, Pakistan
Northern Europe: Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom
Middle Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland
Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Sardinia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania,
Southwestern Europe: France, Portugal, SpainSource:Uses
Leaves and young seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. Mature seeds should be cooked like rice or grains.[7]
External links
Notes and References
- Facciola S. Cornucopia – A Source Book of Edible Plants. Vista, Ca. Kampong Publications, 1990. 677 p.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Wild Living with Sunny: Episode 16 - Mallow Plant S'mores . YouTube.
- Web site: Malva neglecta Dwarf Mallow, Common mallow PFAF Plant Database.
- Duke JA. CRC Handbook of Proximate Analysis Tables of Higher Plants. Boca Raton, Fl. CRC Press, 1986. 389 p.
- Book: Stace . C.A. . New Flora of the British Isles . 2019 . Suffolk . 978-1-5272-2630-2.
- Book: Rose . Francis . The Wild Flower Key . 2006 . Frederick Warne . London. 978-0-7232-5175-0.
- Book: Nyerges, Christopher. Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Falcon Guides. 2017. 978-1-4930-2534-3. Guilford, CT. 965922681.
