Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Malvales - Family: Malvaceae
PICTURE TO FOLLOW
This annual mallow with pale pink or whitish flowers appears in the Algarve from April and is one of the few wildflowers of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean region to survive the heat past May; dwarf mallow can often be seen well into June, which may be due to its ability to form deep roots that gain access to what little water remains in the soil once the summer temperatures soar. (In the UK and northern Europe the flowers can last right through until September.) This member of the Mallow (Malvaceae) family of plants occurs mainly on cultivated and disturbed ground and can be found throughout the Mediterranean region along waysides and in waste ground.