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Marsh Mallow

By webmaster | November 11, 2009

Marsh Mallow
Malvacea Althea officinalis
November 2009 Plant Study Subject

Description
The marshmallow plant is a pink perennial that grows to a height of 24”-48”. It can be found growing in damp, wet areas including meadows and marshes. While native to regions of Europe, the marshmallow plant now grows in the United States as well.

The mallow plant contains a mucilaginous (thick, sticky, jelly-like) sap in the roots, which was extracted and mixed with honey. It was said this delicacy was so special it was reserved for the gods and royalty. It certainly would have been a high-calorie snack that would both keep and travel well. By the 1800s, doctors prepared a medicinal mallow candy used for soothing sore throats. The recipe called for extracting the mallow sap, cooking it with egg whites and sugar, then whipping it into a meringue. After it cooled and hardened, it became a sweet, soothing lozenge. As manufacturing processes improved, and alternatives to the mallow were found, the candy no longer contained the healing properties for coughs and healing wounds. *

Culture: The Marsh Mallow, as it’s name implies, likes to be wet and in full sun. Thin the plants to 1 foot apart the first year. The plants begin to get crowded as they grow. The first year you grow the Marsh Mallow Plant, you only need to space them a foot apart. Separate during the second year to 15”-18”. The plant can get to a height of 2-4 feet and is not one that can be brought indoors or placed in a small corner of the garden.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3a-9b

Marsh Mallow Bloom
*Thanks to Daves’s Garden for this information

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