Malva sylvestris

Herbs, annual, biennial, or perennial, 0.5—1.5(–3) m, hairy to glabrate, hairs simple and stellate. Stems erect or ascending, glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs both simple and stellate. Leaves: stipules persistent, lanceolate to ovate-triangular, 3–5(–8) × 3 mm; petiole 1/2 to 1 1/2 times as long as blade, pubescent in adaxial groove, otherwise glabrous; blade reniform to suborbiculate-cordate, unlobed or shallowly 3–7-lobed, sinuses to 1/2 to base, (2–)5–10(–14) × (2–)5–10(–14) cm, base cordate to ± truncate, lobes semicircular to oblong, margins crenate, apex rounded to wide-acute, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs simple or stellate. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary or in 2–4-flowered fascicles, long-stalked. Pedicels 1–2.5 cm, 1–4.5 cm in fruit, much longer than calyx, glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy; involucellar bractlets distinct, sometimes adnate to calyx in basal 1 mm, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic or narrowly obovate, reticulate-veined, (3–)4–5(–7) × 2.5–4 mm, shorter than calyx, margins entire, surfaces glabrous, sparsely ciliate. Flowers: calyx reticulate-veined, 5–6 mm, to 10 mm in fruit, lobes incompletely enclosing mericarps, stellate-puberulent; petals pink to purple or reddish purple with darker veins, usually drying blue, (12–)16–30(–45) mm, length 2 1/2–3(–4) times calyx; staminal column 5 mm, minutely, retrorsely stellate-puberulent; style 10–12-branched; stigmas 10–12. Schizocarps 7 mm diam.; mericarps 10–12, 2–2.5 mm, margins sharp, not winged, sides thin and papery, with radiating veins, surface strongly to obscurely reticulate-wrinkled, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy. Seeds 1.5–2.2 mm. 2n = 42.

Water moderately, allowing the top 3cm to dry out between watering.

Malva Sylvestris

Malva sylvestris

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