Musk Mallow is a relatively small, herbaceous perennial, flowering bush native to Europe and Turkey in the Mallow family. It is often found along roadsides and open fields in North America. The plant will reach a mature height of about 3 feet, with a 2 foot spread. It has showy, fragrant, large pink flowers from early summer into fall. As with the flowers, the foliage is musk-scented when crushed. The genus name is an ancient Latin name. The species name means musky. Musk Mallow prefers full or partial sun, moist to dry conditions, and loam or sandy loam soil. The leaves can turn yellowish in hot dry weather and are occasionally damaged by foliar disease. The plant is not frost tender. This plant reproduces by reseeding itself. Must Mallow tolerates strong winds, but will not do well with exposure to salt. These plants are generally short-lived, but self seed freely when in a suitable position and more than maintain themselves. If pruned back to the main branches as it comes into flower, it will produce a fresh flush of leaves in late summer. Use this shrub singly or in groups to attract bees and butterflies. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Japanese beetles can be a problem.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Palmasect
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed; Serrate
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
3 to 4 inch palmately veined leaves with narrowly toothed lobes. Small, finely-divided stem leaves are shallowly cut into 5-7 segments. Individual leaves are 1½ to 3¼ inches long and similarly across. The upper leaf surface is yellowish green to dark green and glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is light green and glabrous to slightly pubescent.
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1 1/2 inch pink flowers with five notched, wedge-shaped petals. Stamens are fused into a column. Musk-scented, rose-pink flowers appear in succession over a long bloom period of early summer to early fall. Flowers appear singly or in clusters in the upper leaf axils.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Each flower is replaced by a ring of mericarps (hardened structures containing one or more seeds). The mericarps are about ¼ of an inch long, reniform, and hairless.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are light green, angular or terete, and glabrous to slightly pubescent
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe south to North Africa
Distribution
Northwestern Africa, Southern Canada south to North Carolina and to California on the west coast.
Wildlife value
Attracts butterflies.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers; Seeds
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Edibility
Leaves and flowers are additions to "wild" salads. The seeds are also edible.