Pavonia zeylanica is a modest but powerful shrub in Ayurvedic lore, standing out for its slender stalks, soft, hairy leaves and delicate lavender blossoms.
Ceylon Swamp Mallow is a profusely branched, bristly herb, growing up to 1-1.5 m tall.
| Taxonomic Rank | Details |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pavonia zeylanica |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Clade | Angiosperms |
| Order | Malvales |
| Family | Malvaceae |
| Genus | Pavonia |
| Species | P. zeylanica |
- Stem, leaf- and flower-stalks are covered with hairs.
- Leaves are 1.5-3 cm long. Upper leaves are lance-shaped to ovate, entire. Lower ones are usually 3-lobed, lobes oblong or obovate, entire or irregularly toothed, the middle one longest.
- Leaves are shallowly heart-shaped at the base, surface usually hairy.
- Leaf stalks are 1-4.5 cm long. Flowers occur singly in leaf axils.
- Flower stalk is 2-4 cm long. Sepal-like bracts are 8-11, 1-1.3 cm long, filament-like, hairy. Sepals are lance-shaped.
- Flowers are 1.5 cm long and pink.
- Fruit is 5 mm across, velvety, spherical.
Ceylon Swamp Mallow is found in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, S.E. Arabia, Tropical Africa and Mauritius.
Medicinal Use
Especially for skin conditions like dermatitis and minor wounds. In Sri Lanka’s Kandyan kingdom, local healers used a poultice of Pavonia zeylanica paste on swollen joints, believing its mucilaginous texture soothed inflammation.
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