Malva moschata, the musk mallow or musk-mallow,[Flora Europaea: Malva moschata][Med-Checklist: Malva moschata][Flora of NW Europe: Malva moschata][Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ] Growing to tall, it is a herbaceous perennial plant with hairy stems and foliage, and pink saucer-shaped flowers in summer.
Description
The leaves are alternate, 2–8 cm long and 2–8 cm broad, palmately lobed with five to seven lobes; basal leaves on the lower stem are very shallowly lobed, those higher on the stems are deeply divided, with narrow, acuminate lobes. The flowers are produced in clusters in the leaf axils, each flower 3.2–5 cm in diameter, with five bright pink petals with a truncated to notched apex; they have a distinctive musky odour. The fruit is a disc-shaped
schizocarp 3–6 mm in diameter, containing 10–16 seeds, the seeds individually enclosed in a
mericarp covered in whitish hairs. It has a
chromosome count of 2
n=42.
Ecology
It occurs on dry, but fertile soils at altitudes from sea level up to . Natural hybrids with the closely related
Malva alcea are occasionally found.
The flowers are usually pollinated by bees.
Cultivation and uses
Malva moschata is widely grown as an
ornamental plant for its attractive scented flowers, produced for a long period through the summer. Several
have been selected for variation in flower colour, including 'Rosea' with dark pink flowers.
[Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan .][Malva Pages: Musk Mallows (section Bismalva)]
Leaves and flowers of muskmallow are common additions to "wild" salads. The seeds are also edible.
It has been introduced to and become naturalised in several areas with temperate climates away from its native range, including Scandinavia, New Zealand, and North America.
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