About the High or Tall Mallow

Leaves

• Tall or high mallow grows to about 3 1/2 feet tall, with stems that are typically unbranched. The medium to dark green leaves of this plant are orbicular and arranged in an alternate manner, which means they appear one at a time along the stem. Each leaf is about 5 inches long and wide, and is divided into five to seven lobes. Most varieties of tall mallow have pointed lobes on each leaf, except the variety "Mauritiana," which has rounded lobes.

Flowers and Fruit

• The flowers of tall mallow plants occur in clusters, with each bloom consisting of five petals. Blooms are typically reddish purple with dark purple veins. Tall mallow plants begin blooming around midsummer and continue to bloom for about two months, until early fall. Once the blooming period is over, the fruit, called a schizocarp, appears. A schizocarp is a carpel, which is a modified leaf that encloses the plant's ovules and contains seeds arranged in a ring. The fruit of the tall mallow plant is typically described as resembling a wheel of cheese because of this seed arrangement.

Cultural Requirements

• Tall mallow is an adaptable plant, but prefers partial or dappled sunlight and moist, loamy soil. Tall mallow is not aggressive and won’t usually out-compete other plants for nutrients, water or sunlight. It is hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, and while this plant will adapt to most soils, tall mallow does best in alkaline and neutral soil.

Uses

• Introduced to the United States from Europe, tall mallow has naturalized itself along disturbed areas of roadsides, yard edges and vacant lots. It’s ideal as a border planting to fill in the edge of a woodland garden or as a hedgerow planting. Tall mallow plants are not toxic, and the flowers, leaves and seeds are edible and are used in teas, soups and salads. Cream, yellow and green dyes can be made from parts of the tall mallow plant, and a tincture made from the flowers can be sued to test alkalis. The stems of this plant are also useful. A fiber made from this part of the tall mallow plant is used in textiles and paper and rope making.