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What is "malva rotundifolia"

The Collaborative International Dictionary
Malva rotundifolia

Mallow \Mal"low\, Mallows \Mal"lows\, n. [OE. malwe, AS. mealwe, fr. L. malva, akin to Gr. mala`chh; cf. mala`ssein to soften, malako`s soft. Named either from its softening or relaxing properties, or from its soft downy leaves. Cf. Mauve, Malachite.] (Bot.) A genus of plants ( Malva) having mucilaginous qualities. See Malvaceous.

Note: The flowers of the common mallow ( Malva sylvestris) are used in medicine. The dwarf mallow ( Malva rotundifolia) is a common weed, and its flattened, dick-shaped fruits are called cheeses by children. Tree mallow ( Malva Mauritiana and Lavatera arborea), musk mallow ( Malva moschata), rose mallow or hollyhock, and curled mallow ( Malva crispa), are less commonly seen.

Indian mallow. See Abutilon.

Jew's mallow, a plant ( Corchorus olitorius) used as a pot herb by the Jews of Egypt and Syria.

Marsh mallow. See under Marsh.

Malva rotundifolia

Cheese \Cheese\ (ch[=e]z), n. [OE. chese, AS. c[=e]se, fr. L. caseus, LL. casius. Cf. Casein.]

  1. The curd of milk, coagulated usually with rennet, separated from the whey, and pressed into a solid mass in a hoop or mold.

  2. A mass of pomace, or ground apples, pressed together in the form of a cheese.

  3. The flat, circular, mucilaginous fruit of the dwarf mallow ( Malva rotundifolia). [Colloq.]

  4. A low courtesy; -- so called on account of the cheese form assumed by a woman's dress when she stoops after extending the skirts by a rapid gyration.
    --De Quincey.
    --Thackeray.

    Cheese cake, a cake made of or filled with, a composition of soft curds, sugar, and butter.
    --Prior.

    Cheese fly (Zo["o]l.), a black dipterous insect ( Piophila casei) of which the larv[ae] or maggots, called skippers or hoppers, live in cheese.

    Cheese mite (Zo["o]l.), a minute mite ( Tryoglyhus siro) in cheese and other articles of food.

    Cheese press, a press used in making cheese, to separate the whey from the curd, and to press the curd into a mold.

    Cheese rennet (Bot.), a plant of the Madder family ( Golium verum, or yellow bedstraw), sometimes used to coagulate milk. The roots are used as a substitute for madder.

    Cheese vat, a vat or tub in which the curd is formed and cut or broken, in cheese making.