Tree Mallow is a
native
biennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in coastal areas and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 200cm.
Tree Mallow is distinguished from other mallows by: its tall height (up to 2 metres); shrubbiness and woody stems; palm-shaped and pointy-lobed leaves; and funnel-shaped dark-centred flowers. Tree Mallow colonises coastal locations owing to its salt-tolerance and ability to eliminate salt through its leaves. The native Tree Mallow is rarely found inland in the wild, but it has been cultivated widely as a garden plant since the nineteenth century.
Botanic classification and naming: Tree Mallow is a member of the Mallow (Malvaceae) family. The genus name
'Malva' identifies the plant as a Mallow and its species name 'arborea' means 'tree-like plant'.
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