by Arlene and Larry Dunn, August 6, 2020

red-throated flowers
bleed milky sticky-sweet goo
yummy marshmallows

For her homework assignment in the online class in Prairie Ethnobotany we are taking from The Morton Arboretum, Arlene selected the Swamp Rose Mallow plant.

Common names: Swamp Rose Mallow, Rose Mallow, Hardy Hibiscus, Marsh Mallow

Scientific name: Hibiscus moscheutos

What the scientific name means: Hibiscus comes from the Greek word Hibiskos, meaning mallow; moscheutos, from the Latin, means musk-scented

Native range: East of the Mississippi from Ontario to Florida.

Plant description: Hibiscus moscheutos, a perennial plant featuring hairy stems and leaves, grows in wet ground often near riverbanks or in ditches. Flowers are most often pink but can range in color from creamy white to deep rose, some featuring beautiful dark-red throats.

Historical human uses: The sweet sap of mallow plants was used by ancient Egyptians to make confections for the gods. The French, in the 1800s, discovered that cooking and whipping mallow sap with egg whites and corn syrup created a moldable substance, creating the marshmallows we know and love today.

Celebratory Haiku:

red-throated flowers
bleed milky sticky-sweet goo
yummy marshmallows