Malva parviflora

Malva parviflora, cheeseweed mallow, is an annual or perennial herb native to northern Africa, southern Europe and western and central Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere. It grows 50 to 80 centimetres tall, lying along the ground or upright, with broad leaves of five to seven shallow lobes and small white or pink flowers all year round. It rapidly grows a deep taproot, and usually grows on farmland and on disturbed ground such as roadsides. The page says the entire plant is edible, raw or cooked, with a mild flavour like chard. In Jordan the leaves are used in infusions and poultices as an emollient, laxative, carminative and anti-haemorrhoid remedy. In Lebanon the leaves are used in decoctions for catarrh, kidney infections and stones, respiratory infections and constipation. Few clinical trials have tested these uses. The page also warns that the plant accumulates cadmium and chromium and, on nitrogen-rich soils, nitrates that can be toxic to cattle and poultry.