Susie Olber, age 14, of Nashua, N.H., for her question:

WHAT IS MALLOW?

Mallow is a large plant family that has a scientific name of Malvacese. There are about 1,200 different species in the same classification and they can be found in all sections of the world.

Included in the mallow family are the cotton plant and the okra, as well as the hollyhock and the hibiscus. How's that for a wide variety?

The common thing that puts them in the same class: all of the mallow plants have fibrous stems and sticky sap.

Many mallows are cultivated to add beauty to a garden. Other mallows grow wild, including the swamp mallow which you'll find growing all along the Atlantic coast of the United States. There are also a large number of troublesome weeds in the family.

Some mallows are used for fiber, glue and food. One species has sweet smelling seeds that are used to make perfume. A Chinese variety is used to make shoe blacking.