Country Mallow

Country mallow is a perennial subshrub of the mallow family, native to India and now naturalised worldwide, where it is an invasive weed in Africa, Australia, the southern United States, Hawaii, New Guinea and French Polynesia. It stands 50 to 200 centimetres tall, and soft white felt-like hair covers the whole plant, which gives the name flannel weed. Its leaves are heart-shaped, and its flowers are dark yellow, sometimes with a darker orange centre. Ayurvedic medicine uses it as bala. Brazilian folk medicine uses it for inflammation of the mouth and for asthmatic bronchitis. The roots and stems hold the alkaloid ephedrine, with pseudoephedrine, which is why the plant has stimulant effects.