MALLOW FAMILY 
( Malvaceae) 
Common Mallow; Cheeses ( Malva rotundifolia) 
(European) is a very common weed about dooryards, 
especially in the country, and along the edges of culti¬ 
vated fields. The long stalks spring from biennial roots 
and creep over the ground, the branches being 6 to 24 
inches in length. The dark green, round leaves are 
very handsome; they have a shallow-lobed and very 
finely toothed edge and are deeply, palmately-ribbed. 
The leaves, their stems and the plant stems are rather 
rough. 
The small, widespread, bell-shaped flowers are clus¬ 
tered close to the stalk on short stems from the axils 
of the leaves. The five petals have notched tips, are 
white, delicately tinted with pink or pale magenta, and 
have veinings of a deeper shade. The seed is hard, 
flat and rounded, composed of a dozen or more carpels; 
it is eaten by children with great relish, these being 
the “ cheeses ” that give the species one of its common 
names. 
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