French Mallow
Malva sylvestris
A Eurasian native with purplish-pink flowers, the perennial French Mallow is similar in appearance to its more familiar cousin, the hollyhock.
When Thomas Jefferson noted "French Mallow" on an undated memorandum of cultivated flowers, he was probably referring to Malva sylvestris, a European native with handsome, hollyhock-like purplish-pink flowers. Some Charlottesville gardeners refer to it as "Baby Hollyhock" because of similarities to its more familiar mallow cousin; another common name is "Cheeses Mallow," a reference to the shape of the seed clusters.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
