Malva cretica

Malva cretica Cav.

Malva cretica is a flowering plant in the Malvaceae family, native to regions including Tunisia, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Italy, Albania, Greece, the eastern Aegean Islands, Crete, Cyprus, and Turkey. It has been introduced to France. A possible subspecies, Malva cretica subsp. althaeoides, is found in Spain.

Description

Malva cretica was first described by Cav. in 1786 and belongs to the genus Malva. It is distributed across southern and eastern Europe, North Africa, and parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Its range includes France, the Balkans, the Italian Peninsula, the Aegean, and the Levant. The species is also reported in Spain, potentially as a subspecies. The plant is part of the Malvaceae family, commonly known as the mallow family.