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 truit 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 i -seeded parts as 

 there are styles, are while green the edible "cheeses." 



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