Mallow

Mallow, shrub and herb of the family Malvaceae, usually with showy flowers and disk-shaped fruits. True mallows (genus Malva) of the Old World, false mallows (genus Malvastrum), and rose, or swamp, mallows (genus Hibiscus) of North America comprise the family. The perennial hollyhock (Althea rosea), from China, is the most popular ornamental; the pods of the mallow okra, or gumbo, are used as a vegetable; and the most economically important member is cotton. The marsh mallow of Europe is used medicinally and was once used to make marshmallow.