Malva neglecta is one of the commonest weeds of Europe and W Asia. Like many other plants, it reaches its southern range in Israel, found only in Mt Hermon and the Negev Desert Highlands.
Malva sylvestris is a common European species, in Israel surprisingly it occurs mainly in the semidesert climatic region (average 70-200 mm of rain per year). It is a creeping annual with large showy flowers growing in wadi beds and roadsides.