Mallow

Mallow (Malva parviflora) looks good in any meadow

Mallow is a nice plant that grows in abundance in Southern California. It also grows in some places along the trail in the oak forest where I quite often go for a walk. Mallow (Malva parviflora) first attracts your attention with rather big geometrical leaves. In the time of bloom one can notice little whiteflowers hiding under the leaves . The blooming season is short and soon these flowers turn into interesting looking fruits.

Mallow is also considered a medicinal plant as the leaves extract has anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. I don't know about chewing a mallow leaf but I would try to rub the leaves against some minor wounds or burns.

Malva parviflora flower

And here is the fruit. It's not unusual to see flowers and fruits on the same plant.

Mallow seeds

Mallow is the core representative of its family, Malvaceae. You might be interested to know that some other well-known members of this family include such commercial crops like okra, cotton and cacao. Hibiscus is another well-known member of this family.