The bright pink-mauve flowers of the common mallow brighten up waste areas throughout most of the summer months. The flowers are arranged in clusters , in the axils of leaves along the length of the stiff, hairy almost vertical stems. The petals are pale pink with deep mauve pollen lines. The multiple stamens are fused to form a tube which surrounds the central, prominent style.

M. sylvestris resembles the other member of the mallow family found on Skopelos, Lavatera arborea