Flower profile

Dwarf mallow

Malva neglecta

Dwarf mallow (Malva neglecta) is a flowering plant in the Malvaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–September across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Dwarf mallow is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–September.

47states where USDA records it

4Bloomipedia state lists include it

14,597U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah

Quick look

Malva neglecta is a species of plant of the family Malvaceae, native to most of the Old World except sub-Saharan Africa. It is an annual growing to 0.6 m (2 ft). It is known as common mallow in the United States and also as buttonweed, cheeseplant, cheeseweed, dwarf mallow, and roundleaf mallow. This plant is often consumed as a food, with its leaves, stalks and seed all being considered edible.
From Wikipedia's article Malva neglecta, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Malvaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 47 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,158 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #73 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 673 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #88 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 668 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #88 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,469 records)

Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Introduced	April–October	2,158
New Mexico	Introduced	few records (20)	673
Utah	Introduced	April–October	668
Idaho	Introduced	few records (36)	546

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Colorado.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Utah.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Idaho.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “The leaves and seeds are edible. Mature seeds should be cooked like rice or grains” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records dwarf mallow in 47 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Baca, Boulder, Conejos, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Huerfano, Jefferson, La Plata, Las Animas, Logan, Mesa, Montezuma, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, Weld.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Catron, Dona Ana, Grant, Harding, Lincoln, McKinley, Mora, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Socorro, Taos, Union, Valencia.

Utah counties with USDA records: Cache, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Introduced; Canada: Introduced; Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 916 counties across 41 states; the most are in Virginia (73), Ohio (65), Illinois (63).

Other Malva on Bloomipedia (1): Cheeseweed mallow.

More from the Malvaceae family (29 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Turk's cap, Common hibiscus, Swamp rose mallow, Velvetleaf, Apricot globemallow, Checkerbloom, Scarlet globemallow, Bristly mallow.

More Colorado flowers

Scarlet globemallow

Sphaeralcea coccinea

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Tropical hibiscus

Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌷 Grown in Colorado gardens

Great mullein

Verbascum thapsus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: July–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MANE.
iNaturalist, Malva neglecta: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Malva neglecta (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Malva neglecta (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Ira Gershenhorn via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.