Mallow

Description

Here is an annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plant, always very hardy, which was once widespread near houses, whereas today it is increasingly hard to find. In Italy, Malva vulgaris and Malva alcea grow wild, with showy pink flowers; Malva moschata, with its jagged leaves, also self-seeds, which are particularly decorative.

Leaves

Those of Malva vulgaris are rounded but cut into triangular lobes, also called rotundifolia; jagged in other varieties; curled in Malva crispa.

Flowers

The flowers are usually a fine pink tending towards violet, a colour known precisely as mallow colour, mauve in French; they may also be a more delicate pink. At least three centimetres across, sometimes five, they have notched petals marked along their whole length by lines of a deeper colour. Their generous flowering takes place in summer, from July onwards, and, if the faded flowers are cut off, it continues until autumn.

Exposure

The preferred exposure is full sun, but half shade is also tolerated.

Propagation

The great vigour of this perennial often leads it to self-seed; but new plants can also be obtained by dividing the clumps, by cuttings, taken in late spring or in summer, or by sowing, which is likewise done in summer.

Growth

If the seedlings grow too densely after sowing, they should be spaced at least thirty centimetres apart. For good development it is best to leave the clumps undisturbed for a long time.

Harvesting

The leaves can be picked throughout the summer, although June and July are the best months, but always in the early hours of the morning, as soon as the dew has dried; the flowers should be picked in bud, before flowering is complete.

Storage

Once dried in the shade, the leaves and flowers are stored in airtight boxes or jars.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: The fresh, tender leaves of mallow, boiled, dressed with lemon, oil, salt and pepper, and eaten for a few days as a vegetable in the evening, besides being very pleasant to the taste, have a laxative action that will be appreciated by those who suffer from chronic constipation.

Beauty

Mallow is emollient and refreshing: by boiling two handfuls of mallow leaves in a cup of water for about ten minutes, one obtains a liquid which, filtered and cooled, should be applied to the face with a cotton pad and left to act for a few minutes. The relaxing effect is assured, and it will be astonishing if, after this treatment, a cucumber is carefully passed over the face. The beauty treatment is completed by rinsing with lukewarm water.

Health

Mallow contains substances that are effective in various disorders of the internal mucous membranes: it is useful for gastritis, laryngitis and coughs, as it has an emollient and anticatarrhal action. To make the most of its benefits, the infusion must be made cold: put one tablespoon of mallow in 1/4 litre of cold water and leave it for a whole night. This dose, sufficient for one day, should be drunk in two or three portions, after being slightly warmed.

Curiosity

Pythagoras, the famous philosopher and mathematician of ancient Greece, referring to the enormous virtues of this herb, wrote: "sow the mallow, but do not eat it; it is so great a good that it should be reserved for our neighbour, rather than used selfishly for our own advantage”.