Malva pusilla
Malva pusilla
Safety & Hazards
Although we have seen no reports of toxicity for this species, when grown on nitrogen rich soils (and particularly when these are cultivated inorganically), the leaves of some species tend to concentrate high levels of nitrates in their leaves[ 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. ]. The leaves are perfectly wholesome at all other times.
Botanical Description
Malva pusilla is a much-branched, usually procumbent annual plant, sometimes becoming biennial or even perennial; it can grow from 20 - 50cm tall, with stems on some plants trailing for up to 100cm[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. , 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. It produces several stems from a long, thin taproot[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is has a long history of cultivation for food, though it is probably little grown at present. It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. Malva pusilla is a fast-growing, annual or perennial herb with the capacity to grow forming dense patches in gardens, yards, roadsides, waste ground, orchards, pastures and agricultural fields. It is considered to be hard to control and eradicate because of its long and tough taproots. Among cultivated crops, this species can be very competitive and it can spread very quickly, completely outcompeting cultivated species. It is a cosmopolitan weed found principally in temperate regions of the world, is listed as invasive in Canada, the United States, and the Dominican Republic and in many countries in Europe[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].