marshmallow, Althaea officinalis

The marshmallow plant certainly started something. We just finished a batch of rice krispy treats. The roots have been used to produce confections since the time of the ancient Egyptian dynasties. Now we mostly use these plants for our flower gardens, and leave the treats to the chemists. The leaves have been eaten, and all the green parts are used to produce mucilaginous treatments for cough, sore throats and ulcers. Here marshmallow has been reported wild from AR, CT, DE, KY, MA, MD, MI, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, WI, NB, ON, and QC. As commercial use of the plants has given way to chemical alternatives, reports from the wild have dwindled. Beal Garden MSU, 6/24/12. Mallow family, Malvaceae.