The perennial reaches heights of up to 120 cm, and its rough, hairy flower stalks develop from a taproot. Its stalked leaves are arranged alternately on the hairy shoots, and from May to September, the chalice-shaped flowers with intensely colored veins appear at the shoot tips. Characteristic of the common mallow are its disc-shaped fruits, which resemble small cheese wheels. In antiquity, the mallow was considered a promising aphrodisiac and a very early pregnancy test. If a plant moistened with a woman's urine flowered, it was interpreted as a sign of pregnancy.
Natural habitat: Mallows originally come from the Eurasian region. Today, their range extends as far as Central Asia.
