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Alcea rosea
Also called Common Hollyhock, Garden Hollyhock, Rose Mallow, Black Hollyhock
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a tall ornamental flowering plant grown for its large, showy blooms, usually treated as a biennial or short-lived perennial that self-sows freely. It grows easily from seed in most garden soils given full sun.
Alcea rosea, the common hollyhock, is an ornamental dicot flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It was imported into Europe from southwestern China during, or possibly before, the 15th century. William Turner, a herbalist of the time, gave it the name "holyoke" from which the English name derives.
Alcea rosea is variously described as a biennial (having a two-year life cycle), as an annual, or as a short-lived perennial. It frequently self-sows, which may create a perception that the plants are perennial. The plant may flower during its first year when sown early. It will grow in a wide range of soils, and can easily reach a height of 2.4 m (8 ft)
The flowers are in a range of colours from white to dark red, including pink, yellow and orange. Different colours prefer different soils. The darker red variety seems to favour sandy soils, while the lighter colour seems to favour clay soils. The plants are easily grown from seed, and readily self-seed. However, tender plants, whether young from seed or from old stock, may be wiped out by slugs and snails. The foliage is subject to attack from rust fungus, which may be treated with fungicides. Commercial growers have reported that some closely related species (Alcea ficifolia and A. rugosa) are resistant to this fungus.
The flowers attract hummingbirds in the Americas, and butterflies.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alcea rosea 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
