COMMON MALLOW

WHAT'S THAT WEED? SERIES

HOW TO IDENTIFY?   

• Low-growing plant.  
• Leaves are circular and ruffled with slightly toothed edges. 
• Leaf veins meet at a central point at the stem.
• Taproots have branching fibrous roots attached. 
• Flowers are small, white, pink/purple. 
• Not easy to pull from the ground. 

IS IT A PROBLEM?

• YES. It’s an edible plant, but it competes with other plants and is difficult to weed (its strong fibrous roots cling to the soil). 

HOW DOES IT GROW?

• Can be an ANNUAL, BIENNIAL, or PERENNIAL.
• May stay green during the winter. 
• Grows in bare patches in lawns, garden beds, and neglected areas. 
• Spreads by seeds, which can survive for DECADES in the soil. 

HOW TO CONTROL? 

• Try to remove it when it is still small. 
• Wait for it to rain, or water the ground before weeding. 
• Use weeding tools to get out as much of the roots as you can. 
• Mature mallow can be dug out with a shovel. 
• Don’t let it flower
• To keep seeds from sprouting, avoid disturbing the ground, and cover the ground with mulch.

Sources:
E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia. Malva neglecta Royer, F. and Dickinson, R. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. 1999. 

Ontario Weeds: Common Mallow. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Image:  Cbaile19, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons