Malvastrum coromandelianum aka Broomweed
Taxonomy ID: 14382
Malvastrum coromandelianum is in the mallow family, called Malvaceae. It comes from the Americas. Its range starts in Argentina and Paraguay and runs north through South America. It takes in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern Mexico. Texas and Florida lie in its range too. It has spread beyond its native home into the tropics. Useful Tropical Plants calls it a weed in both hemispheres.
This plant grows upright and can reach 3.3 feet [1 metre]. Useful Tropical Plants calls it a perennial, which lives for more than one year. Its stems can turn woody and last beyond one growing season. Kew calls it an annual or subshrub. An annual lives for one year; a subshrub has some woody growth. The sources thus differ on how long it lives. Both accounts allow for a low plant with some woody growth. The evidence gives no more facts about its leaves or bark. It does not describe the flowers or fruit.
Kew places this plant in the tropics, where seasons bring dry spells. It grows as a weed in fields and on grazing land. It also grows on disturbed sites. Useful Tropical Plants lists a wild plant, not a crop. Its spread beyond the Americas adds to concerns about weeds. The source says people can grow it from seed. It gives no time or method for sowing. The evidence does not state its garden light, soil, or water needs. Nor does it give frost limits or a hardiness zone.
People gather this wild plant for medicine and to make things. Its stems provide material for brooms. Folk uses aim to bring on sweat and soothe tissues. Some people boil the plant for use against dysentery. Others wash wounds and sores with a leaf wash. Folk treatment for carbuncles also uses the leaves. These are folk uses, not proven treatments. The source also notes research on pain relief and reduced inflammation. Those findings do not show what doses are safe. Nor do they support home treatment.
Useful Tropical Plants lists no known food uses for this species. It also reports no known hazards. This does not prove that the plant is safe to eat. The evidence names no pests or diseases that affect it. It records uses and weed concerns, rather than value for garden display.
Common names
Broomweed, Three Lobe False Mallow, Three Point False Mallow, Prickly Mallow, Threelobe False MallowMore information about Broomweed
Where is Broomweed native to?
Malvastrum coromandelianum is native to tropical America, with its core range extending through Mexico and Central and South America. It has been widely introduced outside its native range and is now established across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern and eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, where it commonly grows as a weed.
How big does Broomweed grow?
Threelobe false mallow is an erect shrub or herb reaching up to 1 metre (approximately 3 feet) in height, with woody stems. It typically grows in disturbed open ground and is considered a vigorous coloniser of cultivated land, pastures, and waste places.
What varieties or synonyms does Broomweed have?
Malvastrum coromandelianum has several botanical synonyms reflecting its complex nomenclatural history, including Malva coromandeliana L., Malvastrum tricuspidatum A. Gray, and Malvastrum lindheimerianum (Scheele) Walp. In Queensland, Australia, the plant is treated as Malvastrum coromandelium subsp. coromandelium.
Is Broomweed edible?
No edible uses are known for Malvastrum coromandelianum. No parts of the plant have been documented as food sources.
What are the medicinal uses of Broomweed?
Malvastrum coromandelianum has a documented history of traditional medicinal use. Decoctions of the plant are used as a remedy for dysentery, and leaf decoctions are applied as washes to clean sores and wounds. The leaves have also been used to treat carbuncles. The plant is described as diaphoretic, emollient, mucilaginous, and refreshant. Scientific research has shown that aqueous extracts of aerial parts have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects comparable to aspirin, and that extracts inhibit both antibiotic-resistant and sensitive strains of Staphylococcus aureus.
What other uses does Broomweed have?
The woody stems of Malvastrum coromandelianum are sometimes harvested for use in making brooms. No other significant non-medicinal uses have been documented.
What are the water needs for Broomweed
What is the sunlight requirement for Broomweed
Is Broomweed toxic to humans/pets?
Sources
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