| Malva nicaeensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Malva |
| Species: | M. nicaeensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Malva nicaeensis | |
| Synonyms | |
Malva arvensis | |
Malva nicaeensis is a species of flowering plant in themallow family known by the common namesbull mallow[1] andFrench mallow.[2] It grows up to 60 centimetres (24 in) tall, producing pinkish flowers. It grows in the Middle East, where it has variously served as food.
Malva nicaeensis is an annual or biennial herb producing a hairy, upright stem up to 60 centimetres (24 in) long.[3] The leaves are up to 12 cm wide and have several slight lobes along the edges.
Flowers appear in the leaf axils, each with pinkish to light purple petals around 1 cm long. The disc-shaped fruit has several segments.
In theLevant, mallows grow profusely after the first winter rains.
The leaves and stems are edible, and are widely collected for food, as they make an excellent garnish when chopped and fried in olive-oil with onions and spices. In Israel, the plant is renowned for having fed the besieged Jewish population in the 1948Battle for Jerusalem, its use similar tospinach. A particularly famous preparation are theKhubeza patties.Apicius, a collection of Roman cookery recipes, mentionsgarum being used as afish stock to flavor cooked mallows.[4]
Media related toMalva nicaeensis at Wikimedia Commons