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PLANT PROFILE LIST
NAME: High Mallow
SPECIES / FAMILY: Malva Sylvestris / Malvaceae
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): cheeses, tall mallow, French hollyhock
CONDITIONS: full
sun
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PARTS: |
EDIBLE |
TASTE |
RAW/COOK |
SEASON |
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All |
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Shoots |
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Leaves |
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mellow |
RAW/BOIL |
Spring-Fall |
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Buds/Flowers |
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mellow |
RAW |
Spring-Summer |
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Fruits |
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RAW/BOIL |
Summer-Fall |
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Roots |
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Seeds |
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nutty |
Summer-Fall |
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Nuts |
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Pods |
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Stalk |
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Bark |
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PORTION: small
COMMENT: Unlike common mallow’s fuzzy leaves, high mallow leaves are smooth. Use leaves in salads, dried and steeped in tea, or in soups. Mucilaginous with a mild pleasant flavour, in soups they act as a thickener. Immature seed - raw. Used as a nibble, the seeds have a nice nutty flavor. Flowers used in salads and as decoration (1)
CAUTION:
NUTRITION/ MEDICINAL: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-192/mallow
http://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=28313 Antiphlogistic; Astringent; Demulcent; Diuretic; Emollient; Expectorant; Laxative; Salve. (1) “…used in traditional medicine since ancient times, and is still used in herbalism. Mucilage is present in many of the Malvaceae family including M. sylvestris, especially the fruit. The seeds are used internally in a decoction or herbal tea as a demulcent, and the leaves may be used in poultices as an emollient for external applications.” (3)
LOOK-A-LIKES:
POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES:
OTHER USES: The species has long been used as a natural yellow dye, perhaps more recently, cream color, yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the plant and the seeds. A tincture of the flowers can make a very sensitive test for alkalis. (3) The leaves are used to relieve insect bites and stings. A fibre obtained from the stems is useful for cordage, textiles and paper making. (1)
SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):
1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Malva+sylvestris
2.
http://www.eattheweeds.com/tag/malva-sylvestris (scroll down)
http://www.eattheweeds.com/mallow-madness-the-false-roselle (Hibiscus is a
related species)
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malva_sylvestris
4. http://northernbushcraft.com/topic.php?name=high+mallow®ion=ab&ctgy=edible_plants (good photos)