Not Merely a Weed. Malva sylvestris, Common Mallow, Prinsentuin, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Prinsentuin in Groningen is a wonderful seventeenth-century green haven in a busy town. The small herbal garden is a nice spot for a relaxing amble. Its borders are full of herbs nicely named with engraved signs.
But those signs might lead the non-cognoscenti astray. This pretty Common Mallow is misidentified as Malva moschata, Musk-Mallow. Regardless, it's quite pretty, I think. Looking upon it today I was reminded of Prospero's Island in Shakespeare's The Tempest. There's an episode of punning with Gonzalo, a truly honest man. In the punning lines this Mallow is referred to as a weed, unprofitable symbol, as someone has written, of Neglected Land. Gonzalo is the only character in the play who regards the fearsome and much-loathed Caliban as more than a demonic beast. So also our Mallow is for me much more than a 'mere' weed!
Not Merely a Weed. Malva sylvestris, Common Mallow, Prinsentuin, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Prinsentuin in Groningen is a wonderful seventeenth-century green haven in a busy town. The small herbal garden is a nice spot for a relaxing amble. Its borders are full of herbs nicely named with engraved signs.
But those signs might lead the non-cognoscenti astray. This pretty Common Mallow is misidentified as Malva moschata, Musk-Mallow. Regardless, it's quite pretty, I think. Looking upon it today I was reminded of Prospero's Island in Shakespeare's The Tempest. There's an episode of punning with Gonzalo, a truly honest man. In the punning lines this Mallow is referred to as a weed, unprofitable symbol, as someone has written, of Neglected Land. Gonzalo is the only character in the play who regards the fearsome and much-loathed Caliban as more than a demonic beast. So also our Mallow is for me much more than a 'mere' weed!