| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | Common mallow (English) |
| Description: | Erect perennial herb, up to 1 m tall. Leaves 5-10 cm in diameter, very shallowly lobed to more or less deeply 5-lobed, hairless except on the main veins; margin crenate to crenulate-serrate; petiole mostly 4-9 cm long, sometimes longer; stipules obliquely ovate, 5-10 mm long. Flowers, 2.5-5 cm in diameter, mauve-purple with light magenta or darker purple veins, borne in in 2-5-flowered clusters. Epicalyx bracts 3, oblong-lanceolate, c. two thirds the length of the calyx. Fruit of 9-11 mericarps, reticulate, usually hairless. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | sylvestris: of woods or forests |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Native to Europe. Known in Zimbabwe as a rare escape from cultivation. |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Image last updated: | Sunday 22 May 2016 |
| Literature: |
Exell, A.W. (1961). Malvaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Page 501. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 61. |