‘Mallow’ as anyone who has encountered the melting texture of ‘marshmallow’, not a plant but confectionery, will realise, means soft.
And so it is here with the Musk Mallow, delicate, soft, pink fairy handkerchief petals catching the breeze like fragile sails.
It’s there in the borders between path, parking and the Forest.
It has a faint musky smell which calls insects to it, bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects find it irresistible.
The leaves and flowers are edible and slide easily into a salad. It is this slightly mucilaginous texture which prompts its use as a preparation for sore throats.