Lavatera oblongifolia is a member of the Malva genus in the Malvaceae family, sharing the mallow group's characteristic five-petalled flowers and palmately lobed leaves. Plants in this genus range from herbaceous to woody and may be annual, biennial or perennial. It is used in cultivation for summer flowering and is regarded among mallows as a short-lived perennial in garden practice. Flowering runs from June to September.

Lavatera oblongifolia is a mallow-family plant that flowers in the UK from June to September.

Malva is a genus of herbaceous or woody, annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow.