Malva verticillata 

'Chinese Mallow'

Malvaceae: an annual/biennial to 1.7m. Found on plains and in arable fields. The flowers are purplish/white and are borne in the leaf axils, either loose or compact clusters. Blooming from July-September. The leaves are broad, heart-shaped, hairy, and usually 5 lobed. Native to Eastern Asia. Also, found as a casual, occasionally established in Britain.

USES:

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves have a mild and very pleasant flavour that makes an excellent addition to salads, and can be used as a tasty alternative to the lettuce. The young seeds can also be eaten raw or cooked. If used when green and immature, they have a pleasant nutty taste.

The seed contains mucilage, polysaccharides and flavonoids, and has demulcent, diuretic, emollient, galactogogue and laxative properties. The seeds are used in Tibetan medicine, where they are considered to have a sweet and astringent taste plus a heating potency. They are used in the treatment of renal disorders, the retention of fluids, frequent thirst and diarrhoea. The root is used to cause vomiting in the treatment of whooping cough.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Surface sow seeds in early spring in situ. Germination should take place within 2 weeks at 20°C. A very easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil, though it prefers a reasonably well-drained and moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. This species was one of the earliest domesticated crops in China, it has been in cultivation for well over 2,500 year. Like all mallows, they are prone to rust fungus.

HARVESTED: 2023*

 
APPROX. 50 SEEDS