Malva verticillata
Lifespan: | ⌛ | Annual/Biennial"Annual/Biennial" is not in the list (perennial, annual, biennial, unknown) of allowed values for the "Lifespan" property. |
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Origin: | ✈ | ? |
Poisonous: | ☠ | see text |
Exposure: | ☼ | ?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
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Water: | ◍ | ?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
Malva > |
Hhardy to zone 6 and hardy to frost. Flowers July - September, with seeds ripening August - October. The flowers are hermaphrodite and require insect pollination. The plant is self-fertile.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
Cultivation
Eeasily grown in the garden in ordinary soil, although it likes good drainage and moderate fertility in the soil, as well as sun.. Grown as salad crop in parts of Europe. Variety 'Crispa' has more tender leaves, with attractive curled leaf edges. Cultivated for over 2,500 years in China.
The plant can produce concentrated levels of nitrates if your soil is high in nitrogen, especially from inorganic nitrogen fertilizers. If levels of nitrogen are not elevated, leaves are safe to eat.
Propagation
Grow from seed planted in early spring in situ. Usually germinates by 2 weeks.
Pests and diseases
Prone to rust fungus, but immune to rabbits.
Varieties
'Crispa' - grown for salads in Mediterranean region. Once considered a separate species, but now considered to be a form of M. verticillata derived by selection as a salad plant. Rust fungus prone.
Gallery
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References
External links
- w:Malva verticillata. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Malva verticillata QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)