M ALVA SYLVESTRIS. COMMON M ALLOW. 
MALVA Limat Gen. PI. Monadelphia Polyandria. 
Cal. duplex : exterior triphyllus. Arilli plurimi monofpermi. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 15. Herbje semine nudo polyspermy. 
MALVA fylvefris caule erefto herbaceo, foliis feptemlobatis acutis, pedunculis petiolifque pilofis. Linnai 
Syjl. Veget ab. p. 520. 
MALVA caule e reft o ; foliis lobatis : lobis ferratis, quinis et feptenis. Haller hifi. n. 1069. 
MALVA fylvefris. Scopoli FI. Carniol. n. 859. 
MALVA JylveJlris folio finuato, C. Bauhin. pin. 314. 
MALVA vulgaris Parkinjon. 
MALVA fylvejris Gerard. Raii Syn. p. 269, Common Mallow. Hudfon FI. Angi. p. 268. 
RADIX perennis, albida, craffitie digiti, in terram alte ¥ 
defcendens, fibris paucis majufculis inftrufta, I . 
fapore dulci et vifcido przedita. ■ [ 
CAULIS plerumque ereftus, pedalis ad tripedalem, : 
teres, pilofus, ramofus. ;; 
FOLIA petiolis praelongis hirfutis infidentia, quinque L 
aut feptemlobata, ad bafin macula purpurea • • 
faepe notata, fubplicata, crenata, fuperne laevia, ;; 
fubtus hirfutula. : : 
FLORES ampli, purpurei, axillares, fubumbellati, J. 
venis faturatioribus pifti. • ' 
STIPULAE duae ad bafin cujufvis petioli. 
CALYX: Peri anthium duplex, perfiftens, hirfutum, i 
exterius triphyllum, foliolis lanceolatis, Jig. 1 ; $ 
interius femiquinquefidum, majus, laciniis ;; 
ovato-acutis, Jig. 2. • • 
COROLLA : Petala quinque, obcordata, praemorfa, . 
bafi coalita, plana, Jig. 3. :: 
STAMINA: Filamenta plurima in tubum purpu- f 
rafcentem coalita, Jig. 5, fupernelaxa, reflexa : ■ 
Anther y reniformes, albidae, Jig. 6, auft. ; 1 
PISTILLUM : Germen orbiculatum : Stylus cylin- ; ; 
draceus, brevis : Stigmata plurima, fetacea, ■ 
rubicunda, longitudine Styli, jig. 7, 8, 9. ' 
SEMINA plurima reniformia Ari Ilo introrfum dehifcen- : 1 
te tefta, fg. 10, 11. * 
ROOT perennial and whitifh, the thicknefs of ones 
finger, ftriking deep into the earth, thinly 
fumifhed with large fibres, and having a 
fweetifh vifcid tafte. 
STALK generally upright, from one to three feet high, 
round, hairy and branched. 
LEAVES Handing on long hairy foot-flalks, having 
five or leven lobes, often marked at bottom 
with a purple fpot, fome what folded, crenated 
or notched at the edges, fmooth above and 
flightly hairy beneath. 
FLOWERS large, purple, growing in a kind of um- 
bel! in the bofoms of the leaves, painted with 
deeper veins of the fame colour. 
STIPULAE two at the bottom of each foot-ftalk of the 
leaf. 
CALYX : a double Perianthium continuing, and 
hairy ; the outer one compofed of three leaves, 
which are narrow and pointed, fg. 1 ; the 
inner one larger and divided into five fegments, 
which are broader and pointed, fg. 2. 
COROLLA: five Petals heart-fhaped, a piece of the 
apex as if bitten out, uniting at bottom, and 
flat, fg. 3. 
STAMINA : Filaments numerous, uniting into a 
purplilh tube, fg. 5, above unconnefted and 
turning back : Anther je kidney- lhaped, and 
whitifh, fg. 6, magnified. 
PISTILLUM: Germen orbicular : Style cylindri- 
cal, and Ihort : Stigmata numerous, thread- 
fliaped, of a red colour, the length of the 
Styles, fg. 7, 8, 9. 
SEEDS numerous, kidney-fhaped, covered with an 
Arilltis which opens inwardly, fg. 10, 1 1. 
EVERY part of this plant, but more particularly the root, contains within it a juice fomewhat mucilaginous, 
hence it has been ranked by writers 011 the Materia Medica among the emollients, and confidered as ferviceable 
in all cafes where emollients are proper : but it has more particularly been ufed in difeafes of the urinary 
paffages, where the parts have been either injured by calculous concretions, or inflamed from other caufes ; as 
in the Hone, gravel, bloody urine, ftrangury, gonorrhoea, &c. In cafes of cough, hoarfnefs, roughnefs of the 
fauces, &c. it has alfo been recommended. Its ufe however has been much fuperfeded by the Marjhmallow , 
which poflefles all its valuable qualities in a fuperior degree. The’ method of ufing it is by making a decoftion 
of the leaves or root : or it may be made into a fyrup in the manner of Marfmallows. In fomentations and 
clyfters the leaves are alfo not unfrequently ufed. 
Mallows were formerly eaten as food by the Romans ; not the fpecies here figured however ; but according 
to Haller, the Malva rotundifoli a it alica fore amplo of Tournefort was ufed for this purpofe. This author 
alfo informs us, that a tree of the Mallow kind is in like ufe with the Egyptians and that the Chinefe mix dried 
Mallow leaves with their food. 
_ Cattle do not appear to be fond of it ; and as it is a firong growing plant, it often does much harm in good 
rich ground : the root however, though perennial, is not of the creeping kind, and confequently is eradicated 
without much difficulty. The beft inftrument will be found to be what is called a docking-iron, of which we ffiall 
give an account in defcribing fome one of the Docks ; and the beft time for taking them up is late in the Autumn 
. when the herbage being eat down pretty clofe, the leaves of the Mallow are eafily difcerned, and the herbage fufl'ers 
little from the operation. ° 
The Mallow flowers from June to the end of Summer. The Anther® before the opening of the flower, 
while they are yet entire, afford a very pleafing fpeftacle, and are figured by Grew, in a magnified ftate in 
his Anatomy of Plants. 
