Mallows and allies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.
As the lily among thorns,
so is my love among the daughters.

 

Song of Solomon, 2:1-2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page deals with Malvoideae. Well-known genera in this subfamily include Malva (mallow), Hibiscus, Alcea (hollyhock), Abelmoschus (okra), and Gossypium (cotton).

In case you come across any errors on this page, please let me know. You can use the address at the bottom of the page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Arabic ḥabb al-misk (‘pills of musk’), referring to the scented seeds.

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin esca (‘food’) and ulentus (‘abounding in’), thus ‘fit for human consumption’. The English name ladies’ fingers refers to the fruits, which somewhat resemble the bony fingers of an elderly lady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This species is indigenous from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards through Indochina to southern China, and thence southwards to the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Guinea. It is cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental under a variety of names, including sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus, and sweet hibiscus. It often escapes cultivation and is regarded as an invasive in several countries.

In some places, it is cultivated as a source of food. The leaves are eaten in several Pacific Islands. In Japan and Korea, paper is made from the plant.

In Nepal, juice from the root is applied to sprains, whereas a paste of the bark is applied to wounds. Juice of the flowers is used as a remedy for bronchitis and tooth ache. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is widely used to treat kidney problems.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is Latin, referring to a kind of plant used to treat wounds, derived from Arabic ‘abūṭīlūn, from ‘abū (‘father’, or ‘source’) and ṭaylūn (‘toad’), a misreading of Syriac ‘arqūṭī’ūn, partly from Greek arkion, the name of burdock (Arctium), which was widely used as a medicinal plant.

At the beginning of this page, a picture shows fruits of Abutilon indicum.

 

The plant is harvested for local use as a source of fibres, medicine, and food. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in open areas, including fallow fields, roadsides, open woodland, and shrubberies, from sea level up to about 2,300 m. It is collected for medicine and food, and sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.

 

 

 

 

 

In classical Greek, the word alkea denotes a species in the mallow family, derived from alalkein (‘fend off’), alluding to its usage to cure wounds and eye problems.

When the common hollyhock (below) was imported to England, herbalist William Turner (c. 1509-1568), named it holihocke, from holi (‘holy’) and hoc, the Old English name for marsh-mallow (Althaea officinalis).

 

It is distributed from the Czech Republic and Austria eastwards to Ukraine, southwards to Greece and Turkey, growing in grasslands and fields, and along roads and banks, at elevations between 300 and 1,500 m. It has also been reported from a single location in eastern France, possibly an escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a very early stage, it was imported to Europe, possibly before the 15th Century. Today, it is cultivated almost worldwide, coming in an abundance of flower colours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to some sources, the generic name is derived from althaino (‘to heal’), alluding to the healing properties of common marsh-mallow (below).

However, Althaea is also the name of a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of Oeneus, king of Calydon. They had a number of sons, including Meleager, who, according to some sources, was the result of Althaea sleeping with the god Ares. Althaea and Meleager became the cause of each other’s deaths. When Meleager was born, it was predicted that he would only live until a cinder, burning in the family hearth, was consumed by fire. Althaea removed the cinder and concealed it.

One spring, when Meleager had grown up, Oeneus sacrificed the first fruits of the seasons to all the gods, but omitted Artemis by mistake. Enraged, she sent a huge boar to ruin the land of Calydon. Althaea’s brothers, Meleager, and the famous huntress Atalanta tried to kill the boar. Meleager succeeded, giving the hide to Atalanta, as he had fallen in love with her. Althaea’s brothers got very angry and took the skin from her, maintaining that it belonged to them by right of birth. Enraged, Meleager killed both of his uncles.

When Althaea learned what had happened, she retrieved the cinder and placed it back upon the fire, thus killing Meleager. Then she killed herself.

 

In Ancient Egypt, the sap was extracted and mixed with nuts and honey, or the soft, spongy pith was boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produce a soft, chewy sweet. In the old days, in England and the United States, stem and root, which contains some sugar, were used in sweets, called marshmallows. Today’s marshmallows, however, have nothing to do with the plant. They are a mixture of whipped sugar, water, and gelatine, which is then moulded into small cylindrical pieces and coated with corn starch.

Since Ancient Egypt, an extract of the root has been used for cough. In Ancient Arabia, a poultice made from marshmallow was used for inflammation, and in Ancient Greece it was used for stings, wounds and ulcers. Traditionally, in Denmark, it was utilized for a number of ailments, including boils, dysentery, bladder stones, epilepsy, tuberculosis, tooth ache, colic, kidney pain, haemorrhoids, stomach ache, and whooping cough.

In today’s herbal medicine, common marshmallow is used for treatment of cough, colds, flu, bronchitis, diabetes, skin problems, ulcers, and urinary tract inflammation. All parts of the plant are rich in mucilage, which heals soreness and inflammation.

The specific name is derived from the Latin officina (‘workshop’ or ‘office’), and the suffix alis, thus ‘made in a workshop’. However, in a botanical context, the word denotes plants species that were sold in pharmacies due to their medicinal properties.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Assyrian guzippu (‘cloth’), in Arabic corrupted to korsuf (‘cotton’). The common name originally came from Arabic quṭun, of uncertain origin. This became cotone in old Genoese Italian, coton in Old French, cotun in Anglo-Norman, and cotoun in Middle English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek ibiskos, applied to Althaea officinalis (above) by Greek physician, pharmacologist, and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40-90 A.D.), author of De Materia Medica, a 5-volume encyclopedia dealing with herbal medicine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The native range is believed to be Africa south of the Sahara, and the south-western part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is known to have been grown in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The leaves were used for food, stems for fuel, stem fibres for bags, rope, and sails. At an early stage, it was also introduced to many parts of Asia and to the United States, grown as a source of fibre, mainly to make rope.

Cultivated plants are known as kenaf, derived from Persian kanaf (‘hemp’). The specific name is a derivation of Ancient Greek kannabinos, from kannabis (‘hemp’) and inos, a suffix added to nouns to form an adjective, thus ‘hemp-like’, alluding to the stem fibres.

 

 

 

 

 

This species is restricted to eastern Africa, found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. It is abundant in many places, as grazing animals avoid it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a shrubby herb to 3 m tall, but often much lower, leaves long-stalked, variable, often rounded in outline, usually 3-5-lobed, to 12 cm across, base heart-shaped, margin toothed. Flowers solitary, axillary, pale yellow, usually with a purple or dark red centre.

The specific name is derived from the Latin ovalis (‘ovate’) and folium (‘leaf’).

 

 

 

 

 

It is found from Zaire and Uganda southwards to Angola, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, growing in woodlands.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘rose of China’. However, it is not even distantly related to roses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some authorities propose that this species is most likely a native of West Africa, but it has been cultivated in Asia and elsewhere since about the 1400s. Today, it is grown worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas, the largest producers being China and Thailand.

In Senegal and other African countries, and in various Asian countries, the green leaves are eaten as a spicy vegetable. In Nepal, the calyx is eaten raw or pickled. From the calyx, jam and a red drink, called karkade, are produced. In Europe and North America, the calyx is used for food colouring. Bast is produced from the stem fibres.

Traditionally, roselle has been used as a diuretic and as a mild laxative. In Brazil, the root is used as a stomachic, and also as an emollient. The Naga people of north-eastern India drink an extract of the root for constipation and stomach ache, and as an emollient and carminative. The red calyx contains antocyanins, and research indicates that these substances can prevent rheumatism, diabetes, and colon cancer. Antocyanins are excellent anti-oxidants, which can subdue infections. The seeds are also a good source of anti-oxidants.

The pictures below are all from Taiwan, where roselle is commonly cultivated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name means ‘from Syria’. Presumably, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), who named the plant in 1753, received specimens from Syria, so he must have thought that it was native to that area.

The name Rose of Sharon stems from the belief that this plant was the famous Rose of Sharon in the Biblical Song of Solomon (see top of this page).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It mainly grows on beaches, in river deltas, and in mangrove swamps, but may also be found inland up to elevations of about 800 m, provided there is ample rainfall. When withering, the flowers change colour from bright yellow to orange.

This species is very similar to Thespesia populnea (below), but may at once be identified by the dark purple stigmas (versus yellow in Thespesia). Also, the throat of the flower is a solid dark purple (versus 5 purple spots in Thespesia).

The specific name refers to the heart-shaped leaves, which resemble those of certain species of linden (Tilia).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula, in South and Southeast Asia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is the classical Latin word for mallow, adapted from the classical Greek word for the same plants, malakhe, originally from Hebrew malluah, a plant used as salad. The common name is a corruption of Old English mealwe, an adaptation of the Latin name. The word for the colour mauve was adapted from the French name of these plants.

 

It is native to central and southern Europe, from Spain and the British Isles eastwards to Belarus, Ukraine, and Turkey, but has been introduced as an ornamental elsewhere and has become naturalized in many places, including Scandinavia, New Zealand, and North America. It grows in dry areas, from sea level up an elevation of about 1,500 m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant grows in open areas on disturbed ground. It is indigenous to the major part of Europe eastwards to the Ural Mountains, and from North Africa across the Arabian Peninsula to Kazakhstan and the western Himalaya.

Leaves and stalks can be cooked as a vegetable, young seeds may be eaten raw, and mature seeds can be cooked together with grains. The leaves are chewed for sore throat.

The specific name means ‘being ignored’. What it refers to is not clear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in shrubberies and open areas, including fallow fields, and along hedgerows and roads, from France and Algeria eastwards to the Caucasus, Iran, and Turkmenistan.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘dotted’, alluding to the spots on the stem.

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in open areas, including fallow fields, along hedges, and on the inner part of beaches. Stem to 1 m long, erect or ascending, leaves roundish, toothed, with 5-7 lobes, flowers in axillary clusters, petals pale violet or bright pinkish-purple with darker veins.

Several places around the Mediterranean, the leaves are steamed with garlic and tomatoes, eaten as an appetizer or a salad. In Egypt, the leaves are made into a stew-like vegetable dish, known as khobeiza. The leaves were also eaten as a vegetable in Europe in the 19th Century. The flowers were spread on doorways and woven into garlands for celebrating May Day.

In traditional medicine, the seeds were taken internally in tea to relieve irritation or inflammation of the mucous membranes, and the leaves were used in a poultices to soften the skin. A yellow dye can be obtained from the plant.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘growing in woods’ – not an appropriate name, as it grows in open areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed around the eastern Mediterranean, from Sicily and Libya eastwards to Turkey and Jordan, growing on rocks and in other dry open areas.

The specific name is Latin, literally meaning ‘having a claw’, but in botanical context meaning ‘with a narrow base’, in this species alluding to the petals. The former specific name means ‘with leaves like bryony’ (Bryonia), climbing plants of the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae).

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in open, disturbed areas, such as fallow fields and along trails. It is native to central and southern Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and north-eastern Africa, but is widely cultivated and has become naturalized in most other temperate and subtropical parts of the globe. In Central Asia, it is found up to elevations of about 3,500 m.

The plant is used for fodder, and in folk medicine, and the leaves are eaten as salad or cooked as a vegetable.

The specific name is derived from the Latin verticillus (‘in a whorl’), alluding to the stalkless axillary flower clusters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These plants are closely related to members of Hibiscus (above), but the style has 10, not 5, stigmas, and the fruit is initially fleshy, red or white, later dry and 5-parted. Locally, the fruit is used to make jelly or syrup, and tea is made from both flowers and fruits.

The tubular flowers never open fully, an adaptation to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, which pollinate the flowers.

The generic name is derived from the Latin malva (‘mallow’) and viscus (‘sticky’), alluding to the sticky sap, produced by some members of the genus.

 

It is native from Louisiana and Texas southwards through Mexico and Central America to northern South America, eastwards to Venezuela and Trinidad, southwards to Peru. It grows in rather dry forests.

It is widely cultivated under several names, including wax mallow and Turk’s-cap.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘tree-like’.

 

 

 

 

 

It is native from Costa Rica eastwards to Venezuela, and thence southwards to Bolivia and northern Brazil.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘pretty’ or ‘pleasing’.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name honours Spanish botanist José Antonio Pavón y Jiménez (1754-1840), whom King Carlos III of Spain (1716-1788), between 1777 and 1788, sent on 3 botanical expeditions to Peru and Chile, together with botanist Hipólito Ruiz López (1754-1816). These two botanists named altogether about 150 new genera and 500 new species.

 

This plant is distributed in eastern and southern Africa, from Chad and Egypt southwards to South Africa, and also in the Arabian Peninsula, found up to elevations of about 1,700 m.

The specific name commemorates English explorer and botanist William John Burchell (1781-1863) who was initially trader, schoolmaster, and botanist on the island of St. Helena 1805-1810. He then travelled for 5 years in southern Africa, collecting over 50,000 specimens of plants and insects. His journeys were related in a two-volume work, Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa (1822-1824).

 

 

 

 

 

The stem is trailing, to 2 m long, densely bristly-hairy, leaves to 4 cm long, broadly heart-shaped or triangular, often assymmetric, sometimes 3-lobed, margin strongly toothed, flowers yellow with a dark purple or reddish-purple throat, contrasting with the yellow stigmas.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘latticed’, presumably alluding to the veins on the leaves.

 

 

 

 

It is a bit of a mystery, why Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) named the genus Sida. The Ancient Greek word side refers to the pomegranate tree (Pumila granatum), and the connection is hard to see.

 

It is a small shrub, erect or ascending, to 90 cm long, leaves variable, linear, lanceolate, or oblong, rarely ovate, smooth, to 9 cm long, with toothed margin. The flowers are axillary, single or few together, star-shaped, pale yellow, sometimes with a darker yellow centre, to 1 cm across.

 

 

 

 

 

This species is native to sub-Saharan Africa, southern Arabia, the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines. It grows in disturbed places, including fallow fields, roadsides, and vacant plots. In Ayurvedic medicine, where it is known as kurunthotti, it is taken as a tonic, and to improve your immune system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek thespios (‘holy’ or ‘endowed with taboo’). Swedish naturalist Daniel Carlsson Solander (1733-1782) participated in Captain James Cook’s first great voyage on board the Endeavor (1768-1771). On Tahiti, he encountered Thespesia populnea (below), which was endowed with taboo by the locals.

 

The specific name refers to the heart-shaped leaves, which resemble those of certain species of poplar (Populus).

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a common and widespread species, pan-tropical, the native area is unknown. It grows in shrubberies, on open slopes, and along trails.

In the Himalaya, this plant has many uses. Rope and sacks are made from the stem fibres, and tannin is obtained from stem and leaves. Medicinally, juice of the root is used for dysentery and diarrhoea, a paste of the entire plant is applied to cure skin problems and rheumatism, a paste of the leaves to sprains and to treat snakebite. A decoction of the seeds is used to kill intestinal worms.