Althaea officinalis the English common name "mallow". Most of the mallows have been used as food, and are mentioned by early classic writers with this connection. Mallow was an edible vegetable among the Romans; a dish of marsh mallow was one of their delicacies. Prospero Alpini stated in 1592 that a plant of the mallow kind was eaten by the Egyptians. Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria subsisted for weeks on herbs, of which marshmallow is one of the most common. When boiled first and fried with onions and butter, the roots are said to form a palatable dish, and in
Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula angustifolia (lavender most commonly true lavender or English lavender, though not native to England; also garden lavender, common lavender, narrow-leaved lavender), formerly "L. officinalis", is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean (Spain, France, Italy, Croatia etc.). It is a strongly aromatic shrub growing as high as tall. The leaves are evergreen, long, and broad. The flowers are pinkish-purple (lavender-coloured), produced on spikes long at the top of slender, leafless stems long. The species name "angustifolia" is Latin for "narrow leaf". Previously, it was known as "Lavandula officinalis", referring to its medicinal properties.