Common Mallow: Identification and Management

• Growth habit: low-growing and clumping, up to 1 foot tall
• Flowers: pale lilac-pink or white, with 5 petals; from ¼ to 1 inch wide, produced in the leaf axils
• Leaves: rounded, kidney-shaped, or shallowly lobed (somewhat like a maple leaf), with coarsely toothed margins; the grooved and hairy petioles are relatively long
  • leaf veins radiate outwards from the attachment point of the petiole (leaf stalk)
  • upper and lower leaf surfaces are hairy
  • alternate leaf arrangement
• Stems: hairy; may stay green into the winter
• Seed pod: shaped like a button or wheel of cheese: round, with a flattened top

Common mallow can have a substantial taproot, and stems laying on the soil surface (or perhaps pressed into the soil by being stepped-on) may form adventitious roots.

Common mallow can be annual (have a one-year life cycle) or biennial (have a two-year life cycle).

When the plant grows as an annual, it is capable of being a summer annual (seeds germinate in spring, the plants grow and bloom in summer, and ripen seeds prior to dying by autumn) or a winter annual (seeds germinate in autumn, the plants overwinter, and mature in spring, when they flower and ripen seeds before dying by summer), since germination can occur over most of the growing season.

This species reproduces by seed. Seeds have the potential to remain dormant in the soil for nearly a century. (Royer, 1999)

Common mallow is mainly a problem in low-maintenance turf areas (where the grass may be mown less often and less vigorous or competitive with weed seedlings) as well as in landscapes and nursery crops (it might grow in plant pots or burlapped plant root balls). It favors a full sun exposure and soil of average moisture to somewhat dry conditions.

General lawn care practices that discourage weeds

Maintain healthy, dense turf that can compete with weeds and prevent weed germination and establishment. Fertilize the lawn as recommended (based on season and turf type), mow high, and overseed cool-season lawns each autumn to keep the lawn dense and better able to crowd-out seedling weeds. Core-aerate to reduce soil compaction. Learn about fertilizing, mowing, overseeding, and aeration in the resource: Maintaining an Established Lawn.

Lawn care and maintenance

Mechanical management

Remove mallow plants (including the central root) by hand or with a manual weeding tool. Doing this when the soil is moist makes the task easier. Pulling up or digging out individual plants is a viable option at the beginning of an infestation (when the plants are not yet abundant) and for young mallow plants.

Manage Weeds Without Chemicals

Chemical management

Herbicide use should always be a last resort when managing weeds. Check for any local pesticide restrictions before buying and applying a product. For example, the Montgomery County pesticide law does not allow most synthetic pesticides (which includes herbicides) to be used on lawns. The active ingredient glyphosate is also prohibited on lawns in Baltimore City.

Learn about herbicide classifications and terminology:

Herbicide Options for Managing Common Lawn Weeds

Post-emergent herbicide

Spot-treat individual mallow plants or infested areas with a liquid broadleaf herbicide applied when the weeds are actively growing. Look for a product with one or more of the following active ingredients: 2,4-D, MCPP (mecoprop), dicamba, or triclopyr. An application of non-selective herbicide may work, but would also damage any turfgrass exposed to the herbicide.

CAUTION: Do not spray herbicides containing dicamba over the root zone of desirable trees and shrubs. Roots or leaves may absorb this ingredient and be substantially damaged. Refer to the product label for other precautions.