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Malva arborea
Tree mallow is a shrubby mallow of western Europe and the Mediterranean coasts, growing 0.5 to 2 m tall with large lobed leaves and dark pink to purple flowers. It thrives in full sun and tolerates salt spray and sea water, making it well suited to exposed coastal gardens.
Malva arborea (previously known as Lavatera arborea, or, more recently as Malva eriocalyx), the tree mallow, is a species of mallow native to the coasts of western Europe and the Mediterranean region, from Ireland and Britain south to Algeria and Libya, and east to Greece.
Malva arborea tolerates sea water to varying degrees, at up to 100% sea water in its natural habitat, excreting salt through glands on its leaves. This salt tolerance can be a competitive advantage over inland plant species in coastal areas. Its level of salinity tolerance is thought to be improved by soil with higher phosphate content, making guano enrichment particularly beneficial. It grows mainly on exposed coastal locations, often on small islands, only rarely any distance inland.
The leaves of the species are used in herbal medicine to treat sprains, by steeping them in hot water and applying the poultice to the affected area. It is theorised that lighthouse keepers may have spread the plant to some British islands for use as a poultice and to treat burns, an occupational hazard.
Malva olbia · Malva trimestris · Vervain mallow · Island mallow · Musk mallow · Cretan Hollyhock · Common mallow · Bull mallow · Spotted Stalked Tree Mallow · Low mallow · Sea Mallow · High mallow
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Malva arborea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
