Malva verticillata

Whorl Mallow ( Malva verticillata )

The whorl Mallow ( Malva verticillata ), also called vegetable - mallow, is a flowering plant in the family (Malvaceae ). She comes from East Asia and is used as a crop.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaf

The whorl Mallow grows as a one or two usually perennial herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth of usually 50 to 100, rarely up to 120 centimeters. The prostrate to ascending stems are sparsely covered with velvety stellate hairs.

The alternate on the stem arranged leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The 2-8, rarely up to 15 cm long petiole above has a groove that is hairy fluffy, otherwise it is glabrous. The leaf blade is at a length of 3 to, usually 5 to 11 cm and a width of 2 to, usually 5 to 11 cm kidney- shaped to round and five or siebenlappig. The rounded lobes end or pointed. The leaf margin is smooth to crenate -serrate, but with the variety Malva verticillata var crispa wavy frizzy. Upper leaf surface and bottom are striegelig hairy or nearly glabrous. The fluffy capped with stellate hairs stipules are ovate - lanceolate with a length of 3 to 5 mm and a width 2-4 mm.

Flower, fruit and seeds

The flowering period extends into Central Europe from July to September and in China from March to November. Three to many flowers are bündelig in the leaf axils. The flower stems are mostly 2 to 15, rarely up to 40 mm long and longer to fruit maturity at most twice the length of calyx. The hermaphrodite flowers are radial symmetry and fünfzählig. The rare 3 to, mostly 5-6 mm long, calyx ciliated side ends in five filiform calyx teeth lanceolate side. The five 5-8 mm long sepals are fused cup-shaped calyx with triangular teeth and sparse striegelig covered with stellate hairs. The sepals are slightly shorter or at most as long as the petals. The five white to pinkish petals are 6-8 mm long, have a ausgerandetes upper end and a nail is hairy bald or sparse. There are many stamens present, the stamens are fused to a Columna. The Columna is 3 to 4 mm long, glabrous or has a few simple hairs ( trichomes ). There are ten to eleven branches pen available.

The fruit is split and a diameter of 5 to 7 mm flat - spherical and is divided into ten or twelve part fruit. The 1 mm thick part of fruits below are smooth, the edges are rounded and wrinkled and the sides are reticulated. The bare, purple - brown seeds are kidney-shaped with a diameter of about 1.5 mm.

Ecology

There is insect pollination and self-pollination. There is wind and Velcro spread.

Systematics and distribution

The first publication of Malva verticillata was in 1753 by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 2, pp. 689

It is cultivated and wild in many parts of the world.

From the way Malva verticillata, there are three varieties:

• Malva verticillata var crispa L.: It is cultivated and wild in many parts of the world.
• Malva verticillata var rafiqii Abedin: It occurs in China, Korea, northern India and Pakistan.
• Malva verticillata L. var verticillata; Syn: Malva chinensis Mill, non Malva sinensis Cav, Malva mohileviensis Downar, Malva pulchella Bernhardi, Malva verticillata subsp.. chinensis (Mill.) Tzvelev, Malva verticillata var chinensis (Mill.) SYHu.

Use

The whorl Mallow is one of the earliest cultivated in China plant species and is cultivated there since about 2500 years. The leaves and seeds are edible raw and cooked. In Tibet, the seeds are traditionally used as a diuretic and laxative.

Swell

• Ya Tang, Michael G. Gilbert & Laurence J. Dorr: Malvaceae: Malva verticillata, pp. 266, text Registered as printed work, In Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (ed.). Flora of China, Volume 12 -. Hippocastanaceae through Theaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2007 ISBN 978-1-930723-64-1 (Sections Description, occurrence and systematics)