2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Malva (lat. Malva) - flower culture; an annual and perennial plant of the Malvaceae family. Another name is Mallow. Mallow is found naturally in Europe, Asia Minor, North America and North Africa. Currently, there are about 25 species.
Characteristics of culture
Mallow is a herbaceous plant with woolly pubescent stems 30-200 cm high. The leaves are rather large, rounded-toothed, five or seven lobed or incised, with a heart-shaped base, located on petioles. The flowers are simple or double, they sit in 1-5 pieces in the axils of the leaves, in some species the inflorescences are collected in racemose inflorescences. The color of flowers can be very diverse, satisfying even the most sophisticated tastes. Petals are oblong, obovate, deeply indentable, with three longitudinal stripes. Mallow blooms in June-August.
Biennial and perennial mallows bloom only in the second year after sowing. In the first year, the plants develop a basal rosette of wrinkled, rounded or heart-shaped leaves with curly grooves. In the second year, the plant throws out a long, tall stem, on which flowers are subsequently tied. Flowers bloom from top to bottom and occupy most of the stem. Fading away, mallow forms seed pods, consisting of numerous small fruits gathered around the peduncle. The seeds ripen in 3-4 weeks, and they are harvested when the capsules turn yellow.
Growing conditions
Mallow is a light-loving and drought-resistant plant, it prefers intensely lit areas with a low groundwater table. Soils for growing crops are desirable drained, permeable, fertilized with humus with a high nitrogen content and without stagnant water.
Mallow has a negative attitude towards sites not protected from wind and drafts. In shaded areas, the plant develops poorly and practically does not bloom. Transplanting mallow cannot be tolerated, since they have a powerful root system, the tap root of which goes 50-100 cm deep.
Reproduction and planting
Mallow is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Sowing seeds is carried out in May-June. Some growers grow the plant through seedlings, in this case, mallow is sown in March. Seedlings are planted in open ground in early June. The seed method is one of the simplest and most effective methods of cultivation, moreover, mallow is a cross-pollinated plant, which means that when planting several species, you can collect seeds that will incorporate the characteristics of both "parents". Cultures are often propagated by cuttings. The planting material is cut from the numerous root shoots that appear near the mallow stems in summer.
Care
As mentioned above, mallow is a drought-resistant plant, capable of extracting moisture on its own from deep soil layers. The culture needs rare and abundant watering, but without waterlogging. Requires a mallow systematic weeding, loosening and full dressing with complex mineral fertilizers. Do not forget about preventive treatments and the fight against pests and diseases. Mallow is a tall plant, it can simply break from a gust of wind, so it is recommended to tie it to a support. After flowering, the plants are pruned. Biennial and perennial mallows for the winter are mulched with peat or humus.
Application
Mallow is a simple plant, but at the same time so charming. This is a favorite flower culture of older people. In ancient times, mallow was often planted in front gardens and backyard flower beds, but professional flower growers did not like this plant. Today, the attitude towards this wonderful flower has changed dramatically, and mallow has become a full-fledged decoration of parks and gardens.
Mallow is used in group plantings along the paths, on the beds and in the center of the flower beds. The plant looks spectacular in the background of mixborders. Mallow is also suitable for drawing up live bouquets. The culture is combined with sunflowers, cosme, rudbeckia, phlox, etc. Mallow is often used to create hedges or screens of low buildings and fences that are not particularly decorative.
Some forms are used as container plants, they are grown in pots, vases and large pots that will decorate the recreation area (patio, terrace, balcony). Mallow found their application in folk medicine. The infusions of the plant are used internally and externally for hoarseness and severe coughing. Mallow root is also beneficial.
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Round-leaved Mallow
Round-leaved mallow is one of the plants of the family called mallow, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Malva rotundifolia L. (M. pusilla Smith., M. borealis Wallm.). As for the very name of the round-leaved mallow family, in Latin it will be like this:
Curly Mallow
Curly mallow is one of the plants of a family called mallow, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Malva crispa (L.). As for the name of the curly mallow family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Malvaceae Juss. Description of curly mallow Curly mallow is an annual herb, the height of which will fluctuate between forty and two hundred centimeters.
Moorish Mallow
Moorish mallow is one of the plants of a family called mallow, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Malva mavritiana L. As for the name of the Mauritanian mallow family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Malvaceae Juss.
Common Mallow
Common mallow is one of the plants of the family called malvaceae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Malva silvestris L. As for the name of the forest mallow family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Malvaceae Juss.
Mogilevsky Mallow
Mogilevsky mallow is one of the plants of the family called mallow, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Malva mohileviensis Down. As for the name of the Mogilev mallow family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Malvaceae Juss.
