Malva, as a matter of fact, refers to a genus in the family called Malvaceae. Based on the statistics there are around 25 to 30 species of plants in this genus, which share the name mallow with a number of other members in the family Malvaceae. However, medicinally malva nut refers to the mature seeds from Sterculia lychnophora Hance or Sterculia scaphigera Wall, which is a member in the family Sterculiaceae. Hence, other names of this herb include Boat Sterculia Seed, Boat-fruited Scaphium Seed, sterculia Scaphigera Seed, semen scaphii lychnophori, sterculia seed, Semen Sterculiae Scaphigerae, Malva nut tree seed, Taiwan sweet gum tree seed, and more. As you can see now, malva and sterculia are different genera. So, don’t confuse this medicinal plant with Malva alcea, Malva verticillata, and other Malva plants even though its nuts are named after malva. Malva nuts are mainly produced in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. It is usually collected from April to June when the fruits become ripe and cracked. And the seeds are token and dried in the sun.
Sterculia lychnophora is a deciduous tree which is from 30 to 40 meters in height. Rough bark is slightly striate. Alternate leaves are with 5-15cm petiole; blade is leathery, smooth and hairless, oval or elliptical-lanceolate, 10 to 20cm long, 6 to 14cm wide, and with obtuse or acute apex, rounded or almost truncate base, and entire margin. It has male, female, and perfect (hermaphrodite) flowers, which form acrogenous or axillary panicles; bell-shaped calyx is persistent and with lanceolate lobes; astroid flowers stretch; male flowers are with 10-15 stamens, or up to 30 in rare case; female flowers are with 1 pistil and ovary, which consists of 5 tomentose carpels. Follicles are 1 to 5, grown in stems, 18 to 24cm long, initially puberulous but soon glabrous, and with boat-like 5-6cm base that cracks before the maturity. Seeds are fusiform or obovate, 18 to 25mm in diameter, dark brown, and with rugose surface; large cotyledons are 12mm in length, 10mm in width, semicircular, and with rich endosperm.
Outer layer of seed contains bassorin. Peel contains 15.06% galactose and 24.7% pentaglucose (mainly arabinose).
Source: http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/
