Malva moschata
Tracheophyta
›Magnoliopsida›Malvaceae›Malva›Malva moschata
Ecology
A perennial herb of roadsides, hedge banks, woodland edges, pastures, field-borders, river banks and grassy waste places, preferring well-drained soils in unshaded or lightly shaded situations. It is tolerant of moderate levels of grazing or mowing, and seed is persistent in the soil. Predominantly lowland, but reaching 305 m at Scarth Nick (N.W. Yorks.), with an exceptional record at 845 m (Great Dun Fell, Westmorland).
Status
Native
Trends
M. moschata is native in S. England, but is probably introduced in N. Britain and Ireland. The distribution is stable, although it may be increasingly introduced with wild-flower seed mixtures and as garden escapes.
World Distribution
European Temperate element; widely naturalised outside its native range.
© P. Shannon
Chester, vc58
© P. Shannon
Grass Wood, vc64
© P. Shannon
Wandlebury, vc29
© P. Shannon
Broad Habitats
Neutral grassland (includes coarse Arrhenatherum grassland)
Light (Ellenberg): 7
Moisture (Ellenberg): 3
Reaction (Ellenberg): 7
Nitrogen (Ellenberg): 4
Salt Tolerance (Ellenberg): 0
January Mean Temperature (Celsius): 3.7
July Mean Temperature (Celsius): 15.6
Annual Precipitation (mm): 871
Height (cm): 80
Perennation - primary
Perennial
Life Form - primary
Hemicryptophyte
Woodiness
Herbaceous
Clonality - primary
Little or no vegetative spread
Count of 10km squares in Great Britain: 1423
Count of 10km squares in Ireland: 0
Count of 10km squares in the Channel Isles: 10
Atlas Change Index: -0.04
Weighted Changed Factor: 40
Weighted Change Factor Confidence (90%)
16
JNCC Designations
NBNSYS0000003130