MUSK-MALLOW
Malva moschata
Mallow Family [Malvaceae] 
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Mallow Family [Malvaceae]
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status
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
_2011_07_31_MosesGateCountryPk_NobEndSSSI_026p3.jpg)
| 31st Aug 2011, Moses Gate Country Pk, Farnworth, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Growing amidst Wood Crane's-bill, which also has cut leaves. |
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| 31st Aug 2011, Moses Gate Country Pk, Farnworth, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The large deeply-cut leaves here are those of the five-petalled blue Wood Crane's-bill; the leaves of Musk-Mallow are also deeply cut, but smaller and much finer (deep down bottom middle). |
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| 31st Aug 2011, Moses Gate Country Pk, Farnworth, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| A mass of flowers growing wild, leaves in bottom right. |
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| 20th July 2007, Cartmel, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Forms small clusters. |
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| 14th July 2010, Freshfields, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Shorter than Common Mallow growing up to only 80cm. Flowers mainly at the top, but also on side-branches up the side. |
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| 11th July 2006, Adstone, Shropshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| A branched plant with deeply and narrowly cut leaves not un-like those of Cut-Leaved Crane's-bill. |
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| 6th July 2005, Walkden Loop lines, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers rose-pink, a lighter colour than those of the lilac to mauve flowers of Common Mallow. |
_2006_07_11_ChurchStretton_BeetchCott_Adstone_Minton_circ_072p6.jpg)
| 11th July 2006, Adstone, Shropshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers have five petals with a well-rounded notch. |
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| 6th July 2005, Walkden Loop lines, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Five sepals around un-opened buds giving it a ridged appearance. |
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| 12th July 2014, Wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| A flower with several as-yet un-opened flower buds beneath and deeply-divided leaves beneath those. |
_2006_07_11_ChurchStretton_BeetchCott_Adstone_Minton_circ_074p7.jpg)
| 11th July 2006, Adstone, Shropshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| Petals not quite symmetric. |
_2007_07_20_GrangeOverSands_Cartmell_coastalpath_Cark_541p9.jpg)
| 20th July 2007, Cartmel, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| A central column bears a cluster of stamens with purple coloured anthers atop. |
_2009_06_27_BlackleachResr_Ringley_canal_Bury_147p0.jpg)
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flower stems are long and thin. A few straggly long hairs adorn the stems. |
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| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Resr, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Like all Mallows, it has two concentric sets of five sepals; a broad set cut to just over half-way, and an outer darker, shorter and much narrower set beneath. |
_2009_06_27_BlackleachResr_Ringley_canal_Bury_147p01.jpg)
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Resr, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Un-opened flower buds have a conical shape. |
_2009_06_27_BlackleachResr_Ringley_canal_Bury_146p5.jpg)
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Resr, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| As it un-folds, the reason for the slight asymmetry becomes apparent. |
_2009_06_27_BlackleachResr_Ringley_canal_Bury_145p7.jpg)
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Resr, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Petals un-furling from a five-lead spiral. sepals hairy. |
_2007_07_20_GrangeOverSands_Cartmell_coastalpath_Cark_540p8.jpg)
| 20th July 2007, Cartmel, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Leaves deeply and narrowly cut. |
_2009_06_27_BlackleachResr_Ringley_canal_Bury_144p0.jpg)
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Resr, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
Stem with simple hairs, not stellate as with Greater Musk-mallow(Malva alcea) and only half as hairy as is Common Mallow |
| Aug 2017, Sumerset, America. | Photo: © Robert F. Norris |
| The central thick white style with multiple purple filamental stigmas attached at the end. The style is surrounded by a multitude of white filaments bearing indigo-coloured anthers with pale-yellow pollen. |
| Aug 2017, Sumerset, America. | Photo: © Robert F. Norris |
| The stigmas are purple, with short hairs and taper to a blunt end. |
| Aug 2017, Sumerset, America. | Photo: © Robert F. Norris |
| Filaments are white, more numerous than the stigmas and have indigo-coloured anthers which open like a crocodile mouth, within which are tiny globular, clear to pale-yellow translucent pollen grains. |
ALBINO VARIETY - GARDEN |
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| 6th July 2005, Walkden Loop lines, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Also comes in white. |
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| 15th Aug 2011, nr Hayfield, Derbyshire. | Photo: © RWD |
| Growing in someone's garden, therefore possibly(?) a cultivar variety. |
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Easily confused with : Not to be semantically confused with : Musk Thistle, Musk Stork's-bill or Musk Orchid [plants with similar names] Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : The Mallow shaped flowers with the finely divided narrow leaves and simple rather than stellate hairs. No relation to : Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans), Musk Stork's-bill (Erodium moschatum) or Musk Orchid (Herminium monorchis) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].
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 Malva
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moschata
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Malvaceae
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 Malva (Mallows) |
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Mallow Family [Malvaceae]
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BSBI maps