The Common Mallow is a handsome flower which grows by roadsides and in
waste places. It is plentiful all summer and autumn. The five petals are
a beautiful pale mauve streaked with purple. They are long and rather
narrow, and each petal has a deep notch in the outer edge. These petals
do not meet close together at the bottom; you can see part of the green
calyx appearing between each petal.
In the middle of the flower stands a small purple pillar. In this pillar
all the slender stems of the stamens are joined together, and their
heads cluster near the top like tiny beads, with the wavy points of the
seed-vessel rising among them.
This Mallow has two kinds of green sepals. Five of these are broad, with
sharply-pointed tips and hairy edges. And besides these there are three
long narrow sepals.
The green leaves of the Mallow are very pretty. They are shaped like a
hand with five blunt points, and the edges all round are cut into
delicate teeth.
Those leaves which grow close to the root have often a deep purple
blotch near the centre.
PLATE XXXIII: 1. SCOTCH THISTLE 2. MARSH PLUME THISTLE
3. FIELD SCABIOUS