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Alcea
Also called Hollyhocks
Hollyhocks are tall, upright annual, biennial or perennial plants in the mallow family, grown for their large, showy flowers. They are easy to grow from seed in sunny spots with well-drained soil.
Alcea is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus.
Hollyhocks are popular garden ornamental plants. They are easily grown from seed. Plants with red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Cultivars have been bred, especially from A. rosea. They include the double-flowered 'Chater's Double', the raspberry-colored 'Creme de Cassis', and 'The Watchman', which has dark, nearly black, maroon flowers.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alcea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
