Moonrise Herbs Blog — malvaceae

To celebrate our new friend Malva, we want to talk a bit about Tree Mallow (Lavatera/Malva arborea).  While many of you are familiar with the myriad benefits of its cousin Marshmallow (Althea officinalis), our volunteer plant may be a bit more mysterious. Tree Mallow is a lovely biennial, native to the Mediterranean, that grows well in climates similar to our Humboldt coast.  Like it’s other Malvaceae relatives, this plant features large, palmate leaves that are veined and grow alternately on the plant. Blossoming usually takes place in late summer and produces the beautiful pink – purple flowers typical of Malvaceae....