The marshmallow you eat today as candy has nothing to do with the marshmallow! At one time, this candy was actually made from a plant called a marshmallow, which is how it got its name.

Today, marshmallows are made by whipping a combination of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, flavors, and egg whites. Marshmallows have a light, fluffy texture. The most popular kind is white marshmallow which has been covered with sugar. But there are also marshmallow “peanuts,” marshmallow “bananas,” and marshmallow “eggs.” Some kinds are made by coating the marshmallow with toasted coconut and chocolate.

The mallow family of plants, of course, has nothing to do anymore with the candy we have described. In the mallow plant family are included the cotton plant, okra, the marshmallow (the one that once was used for candy), and other mallows used for fiber, glue, and food.

One kind of mallow has sweet-smelling seeds from which perfume can be made! The leaves of a Chinese species of mallow are used for shoe blacking. Many mallows have beautiful showy flowers of white, rose, yellow, or red. The hollyhock and the rose of Sharon, common garden flowers, are mallows. There are others that grow wild, including the wild swamp mallow which is found all along the Atlantic Coast of the United States.

Do you remember seeing pictures of visitors to Hawaii being greeted with flower necklaces, called heist Wed, the orange flowers used for making these leis come from a certain mallow plant native to Hawaii. Another mallow, the roselle, is used for making jams and a refreshing drink.

Altogether, the mallow plant family is quite a family with more than 900 different species of mallows in it!