Pollinator plant

Greater Musk-mallow

Malva alcea

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Common names

28 names · 20 languages
EnglishYour language
Other languages (19)
Dutch
  • Vijfdelig kaasjeskruid[1][2]
French
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 蜀葵状锦葵[2]
Czech
  • sléz velkokvětý[2]
Danish
  • Rosen-katost[2]
Estonian
  • roos-kassinaeris[2]
Finnish
  • ruusumalva[2]
German
+2 more namesShow fewer names
Hungarian
  • érdes mályva[2]
Lithuanian
  • Aukštoji dedešva[2]
Norwegian
  • rosekattost[2]
Polish
  • Ślaz zygmarek[2]
Russian
  • Мальва шток-розовая[2]
Slovak
  • slez liečivý[2]
Slovenian
  • ostrolistni slezenovec[2]
Spanish
Swedish
  • rosenkattost[2]
  • rosenmalva[2]
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Калачики заячі[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Catalogue language labels are reviewed separately from botanical source records.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Malva alcea — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy. This is a common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Greater Musk-mallow — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Rosen-Malve — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Rosenmalve — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Siegmarswurz — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Sigmarskraut — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Spitzblättrige Malve — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • hollyhock mallow — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • vervain mallow — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • malva montés — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • malvavisco salvaje — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Mauve alcée — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Vijfdelig kaasjeskruid — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
[2] Malva alcea — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Greater Musk-mallow — results[22].names[2]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Rosen-Malve — results[22].names[3]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Rosenmalve — results[22].names[4]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Siegmarswurz — results[22].names[7]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Sigmarskraut — results[22].names[6]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Spitzblättrige Malve — results[22].names[5]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • hollyhock mallow — results[22].names[25]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • vervain mallow — results[22].names[24]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • malva montés — results[22].names[15]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • malvavisco salvaje — results[22].names[16]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Mauve alcée — results[22].names[8]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Vijfdelig kaasjeskruid — results[22].names[21]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • sléz velkokvětý — results[22].names[9]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Rosen-katost — results[22].names[10]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • roos-kassinaeris — results[22].names[11]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • rosekattost — results[22].names[12]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Aukštoji dedešva — results[22].names[13]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • ruusumalva — results[22].names[14]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Ślaz zygmarek — results[22].names[17]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Мальва шток-розовая — results[22].names[18]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • rosenmalva — results[22].names[19]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • rosenkattost — results[22].names[20]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • ostrolistni slezenovec — results[22].names[22]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Калачики заячі — results[22].names[23]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • érdes mályva — results[22].names[26]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • 蜀葵状锦葵 — results[22].names[27]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • slez liečivý — results[22].names[28]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
  • Ebecik — results[22].names[29]; taxon id 146876; Malva alcea.
Plant references

Source-backed information

Published observations for this plant. Each reference supports the information beside it.

Taxonomy
Malva alcea is an accepted species in Catalogue of Life.

Taxonomic treatment in the August 2026 release; the catalogue record name is preserved.

Sources [1]
Botanical family
Malvaceae

Family in the cited taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Pollinator guidance
RHS includes Malva species in its Plants for Pollinators guidance.

Genus-level guidance, not a rating for this individual species or a particular cultivar. RHS planting guidance. Choose accessible flowers with pollen and nectar; reduced-resource and double-flowered forms may be unsuitable.

Sources [2]
Native range
S. Sweden to S. & E. Europe and N. Türkiye.

Explicit native locality records in Kew WCVP v16; introduced and doubtful distributions excluded. Continent conversion follows the documented geographic mapping.

Sources [3]
Catalogue ratings

Who this plant supports

Honey bees

Medium suitability
Nectar value Medium
Pollen value Medium
Plant profile

About this plant

Greater Musk-mallow (Malva alcea) is a herbaceous plant. It flowers from June to September.

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Catalogue of Life Malva alcea — Catalogue of Life COL26.8

    COL26.8 (2026-08-20). Contributing checklist: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World. This is taxonomic evidence, not an independent ecological study.

    Supports: TaxonomyBotanical family
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: NameUsage.tsv line 590786; ID 3XQZY; rank species; status accepted
    • Botanical family: NameUsage.tsv line 590786; ID 3XQZY; rank species; status accepted

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Royal Horticultural Society RHS Plants for Pollinators — Garden Plants

    RHS planting guidance; applicable flower-form restrictions are retained. General recommendations do not measure local nectar or pollen production.

    Supports: Pollinator guidance
    Relevant sections
    • Pollinator guidance: Page 4, column 1, entry Malva species (top 712 pt)

    Source checked on .

  3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Malva alcea — Kew WCVP native distribution

    Native distribution and taxonomic treatment from the official WCVP v16 export (4 June 2026). The link opens the corresponding POWO taxon. Source rows are retained in the native-range audit archive.

    Supports: Native range
    Relevant sections
    • Native range: WCVP v16; wcvp_names.csv lines 242355; wcvp_distribution.csv native locality lines 983702, 983706, 983707, 983708, 983709, 983710, 983711, 983712, 983713, 983714, 983715, 983716, 983717, 983718, 983719, 983720, 983721, 983722, 983723, 983724, 983725, 983726, 983727, 983728, 983730

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.