Least Mallow

Conservation status:

Native

Description:

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to frequent in sandy soils after rains; is more common in and around inhabited and cultivated areas uses: Mandaville quotes earlier authors who reported that the leaves are eaten as a vegetable by Persians in Kuwait. Phillips notes that the leaves were used in the past to treat coughs and bladder complaints. Rizk & El-Ghazaly list a number of medicinal uses and state that the plant is poisonous to cattle and horses. Ghazanfar reports that the seeds and leaves are also used to treat fevers and ulcers.