The Mallow Family (Malvaceae)
	Family Description	Members of the Mallow Family are herbs or shrubs. Each flower has both male and female parts.
	The Common Mallow Malva sylvestris	This pretty plant has deep pink flowers and hairy sprawling stems. The fruit contains a ring of closely packed seeds.
	Habitat	Meadows and waste places. Road-verges and Hedgebanks. Prefers well-drained soils.
	Special features	Leaves kidney-shaped to rounded heart shaped, with rounded jagged lobes. The flowers are pink to purple with dark veins.
	Reproduction	The flowers have both male and female parts. Pollination is usually performed by bees. The fruits develop into a ring of tightly packed seeds, split into several single-seeded nutlets, which pop out when ready.
	Distribution	Seasonal June to September. Geographical Throughout Britain, but scarcer in the north and mainly on the east coast.
	Fun Fact	The roots of a close relative of the Common Mallow - the Marsh Mallow - were once used to make "Marshmallow" sweets. We can still buy soft, fluffy white or pink marshmallows, but nowadays, they are made from starch, sugar gelatine and syrup.