MALVACEAE MALLOW FAMILY 
COMMON MALLOW. CHEESES 
Malva rotundifolia L. 
The Common Mallow or Cheeses was introduced from 
Europe, has become naturalized and is now common throughout 
in waste places and cultivated grounds. The flowers yield a blue 
coloring matter which 
serves as a test for acids 
and alkalies, being red- 
dened by the former and 
rendered green by the 
latter. 
This is a biennial, the 
deeply penetrating root 
living over winter. The 
stems are prostrate, 
spreading and branching 
to such an extent that a 
single healthy plant may 
cover several square feet 
of soil. The leaves, ele- 
vated on their long pet- 
ioles, are so sensitive to 
light that their blades 
turn toward the east in 
the morning and follow 
the sun during the day, 
keeping the broad face 
always at right angles 
to the source of light. 
The Mallow blooms 
throughout summer and 
autumn, and unopened buds, flowers and mature fruit may be 
found at the same time. The flowers open only during sunny 
weather. The 5 green sepals, united at the base, persist as the 
fruit matures. At the base of the calyx are 3 little leaflike bracts 
which form a sort of outer calyx or involucel. The 5 petals vary 
from whitish to purplish red but their veins are always purplish 
red. The flattened fruits, divided into as many t-seeded parts as 
there are styles, are while green the edible “cheeses.” 
195 
