malva

[Lat., from Gr. malache =a mallow; malas so to soften; from the relaxing properties of the mallows, or from their downy leaves.] Bot.: Mallows, the typical genus of the tribe Mal. vee and the order Malvaceae. Calyx surrounded by a three-leaved involucre, carpels numerous, circularly arranged, one-seeded. Sixteen species are known. Three of the best known are Malva sylves tris, M. rotund i folia , and M. moschata. The first has three to seven-lobed crenate-serrate leaves, and large pale, purple, or blue flowers; the second has reniform obscurely-lobed crenate leaves, pale lilac or whitish flowers, and the third five to seven-partite leaves and pinnatifid lobes, and rosy or white flow ers. Cavanilles found that the bark of M. crisp a could be made into cordage. M.parviflora is eaten by the natives of India, in times of scarcity, as a potherb. The seeds are used as a demulcent in coughs and ulcers of the bladder. M.rotund i folia and M. sylvestris , both of which grow in India, are employed as demulcents; the seeds of the former are applied externally in skin diseases.