Malva sylvestris L.

Herb

Malva species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs or undershrubs. Stems erect or procumbent, branches pubescent or glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, 3-7 palmately lobed or parted, suborbicular to reniform, base truncate to cordate, margins crenate-dentate or entire, apex acute to acuminate, petiolate, stipules linear lanceolate-ovate, persistent or caducous. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or fascicled, rarely terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, persistent, epicalyx 3, base connate or free, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit, persistent, corolla showy and large, yellow, white, red, orange, purple, red, blue and dark colored at the base, apex notched to emarginate. Staminal column, base wide, filaments, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-15 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style usually equal to number of carpels, stigmas on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, mericarps 9-15, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, smooth, glabrous or hairy.

Flowering & Fruiting: August-March

Malva species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: August—March.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, erect or procumbent, about 0.5-2 m tall. Stems, branches pubescent with simple and stellate hairs when young, later becoming glabrescent. Leaves alternate, simple, 3-7 palmately lobed or parted, suborbicular to reniform, about 2-8 x 1.5-11 cm across, base truncate to cordate, 3-7 veined, margins crenate-dentate, lobes semicircular to oblong, apex acute to obtuse, pubescent on the midrib above, sparsely pubescent beneath, petiole, with a line of stellate hairs above, about 1.5-7 cm long, stipules lanceolate-ovate, caducous, about 4-6 x 2-3 mm across. Inflorescence usually axillary solitary or 2-4 fascicled, rarely terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, pubescent with simple and stellate hairs, unequal in length in a fascicle, about 0.5-2.5 cm long, involucellar bractlets 3, distinct, oblong-lanceolate, veined reticulately persistent, epicalyx 3, ovate, margin ciliate with simple hairs, later glabrous, about 3-5 x 1.5-2 mm across, calyx 5 lobed, cupular, lobes deltoid, base connate till middle, margins ciliate with stiff and simple hairs, glabrous at base inside, dense along margins and sometimes at the centre, apex acute, usually accrescent or spreading in fruit, persistent, about 3-7 x 2-4 cm across, corolla showy and large, purple, blue, petals obovate, glabrous, margins with simple hairs, about 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1 cm across. Staminal column, densely stellate hairy, about 4 mm long, anthers basifixed, in the upper half. Ovary 10-12 carpellate, arranged in ring around central axis, ovules 1 per locule, style 10-12 branched, stigmas 10-12, on adaxial surface or styles. Fruit indehiscent, schizocarp in persistent calyx, oblate or discoid and depressed in centre, about 7 mm across, mericarps 10-12, reniform, veined prominently dorsally and laterally, pubescent or glabrous, Seed 1 in each mericarp, reniform, about 1.5-2 mm across, reticulate, glabrous, brownish black.

Herbs up to 2 m tall; stems erect to decumbent, younger parts pubescent with simple or stellate hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; stipules ca. 4-6x2-3 mm, ovate, acute, hairy, mostly deciduous; petioles ca. 2-7 cm long, stellate-hairy with a line of simple hairs; lamina ca. 1.5-8x1-11 cm, reniform to suborbicular, 3-7-lobed, lobes semicircular to oblong , cordate at base, obtuse at apex, crenate, glabrous or sparsely simple hairy beneath; secondary nerves 3-7 pairs. Flowers 1-4 in axillary fascicles; pedicels ca. 0.5-2.5 cm, unequal in a fascicle, pubescent with simple and stellate hairs, ultimately glabrous; Epicalyx segments ca. 3-5x1.5-2 mm, ovate, ciliate by simple hairs, glabrous; calyx divided to the middle, lobes ca. 3-7 x 2-4 mm, broadly triangular, acute, densely hirsute outside with stellate and a few simple hairs, ciliate along margins with short, slender and stiff, simple hairs, densely hairy along margins and sometimes in the centre but glabrous at base inside, persistent; corolla dark purple or violet; petals ca. 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1 cm, obovate, emarginate, glabrous, basal margins tufted with simple hairs; staminal column ca. 4 mm long, densely stellate-hairy, antheriferous towards apex; filaments ca. 2 mm long. Fruit glabrous, ca. 5-6 mm across, discoid; mericarp 10, ca. 2 mm in diam., dorsally reticulate veined, laterally and radially prominently veined, hairy or glabrous. Seeds ca. 1.5-2 mm long, brownish black, reniform, glabrous.

Malva species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Western Ghats, Higher elevation, Naturalized, also Cultivated, Native of Eurasia

Cultivated

Tropical and temperate forests and cultivated, altitude about 600-3000 m.

Throughout Assam.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated in gardens. Flowers, fruits, leaves and stems used in folk medicine, leaves used as vegetable.

The leaves and seeds are eaten as a vegetable.

Young stems, leaves, flowers and immature fruits are medicinal.