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Magnoliopsida
Alcea
EOL Text
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Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
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Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked
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The preference is full or partial sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam or sandy loam. The leaves often become yellowish in response to hot dry weather and they are occasionally damaged by foliar disease.
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Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/verv_mallow.html |
Malva alcea (greater musk-mallow, cut-leaved mallow, vervain mallow or hollyhock mallow) is a plant in the mallow family native to southwestern, central and eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Spain north to southern Sweden and east to Russia and Turkey.[1][2][3]
Description[edit]
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50–125 cm tall, with stems covered in stellate hairs, meaning they branch at the free end into several strands. The leaves are 2-8 cm long and 2-8 cm broad, palmately lobed with five to seven blunt lobes; basal leaves on the lower stem are very shallowly lobed, those higher on the stems are deeply divided, with digitate finger-like lobes. The flowers appear singly near the apex of corymbose racemes growing from the leaf axils in summer to early fall. They are 3.5–6 cm diameter, with five sepals and five bright pink petals, and have no scent. The bracteoles that make up the epicalyx are ovate and wide at the base where they are fused with the calyx. The fruit is a hairless disc-shaped schizocarp 4–8 mm diameter, containing several seeds, the seeds individually enclosed in a glabrous or hairy mericarp. It has a chromosome count of 2n=84.[3][4][5][6]
Gallery[edit]
Ecology[edit]
It is most common in drier soils in thickets, along paths and in waste places. Natural hybrids with the closely related Malva moschata are occasionally found. In central Europe it grows at altitudes of up to 2,000 m.[3]
Cultivation and uses[edit]
It has been widely grown outside of its native range as an ornamental plant. Several cultivars exist such as 'Fastigata', an upright form, and 'Alba', a white flowered form. In some areas, such as the northeastern United States, the plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalised. It is very similar to, and often confused with Malva moschata.[7]
Synonyms[edit]
- Malva abulensis Cav.
- Malva bilobata Merino in Brotéria
- Malva bismalva Bernh. ex Lej.
- Malva fastigiata Cav.
- Malva italica Pollini
- Malva lagascae Lázaro Ibiza & Andrés Tubilla
- Malva lobata Cav.
- Malva morenii Pollini
- Malva ribifolia Viv.
References[edit]
- ^ Flora Europaea: Malva alcea
- ^ Med-Checklist: Malva alcea
- ^ a b c Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
- ^ (German) Schmeil, O., Fitschen, J., & Seybold, S. (2006). Flora von Deutschland, 93. Auflage. p. 422. Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim. ISBN 3-494-01413-2.
- ^ Flora of NW Europe: Malva alcea
- ^ Malvaceae Pages: Musk Mallows (section Bismalva)
- ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malva alcea. |
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Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malva_alcea&oldid=594998044 |
- This article is about the flower. For the J. League Division 2 team, see Mito HollyHock
Wikispecies has information related to: Alcea |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alcea. |
Alcea, commonly known as hollyhocks, is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae.[1] They are native to Asia and Europe.[1]
Description[edit]
Hollyhocks are annual, biennial, or perennial plants usually taking an erect, unbranched form. The herbage usually has a coating of star-shaped hairs. The leaf blades are often lobed or toothed, and are borne on long petioles. The flowers may be solitary or arranged in fascicles or racemes. The notched petals are usually over three centimeters wide and may be pink, white, purple, or yellow. The fruit is a schizocarp, a dry disc divided into over 15 sections that contain seeds.[1]
Species[edit]
There are about 60 species of Alcea,[1] including:[2]
- Alcea acaulis
- Alcea biennis (syn. A. pallida)
- Alcea calvertii
- Alcea ficifolia — Antwerp hollyhock
- Alcea flavovirens
- Alcea grossheimii — Grossheim's alcea
- Alcea heldreichii
- Alcea kurdica
- Alcea lavateriflora
- Alcea litwinowii
- Alcea longipedicellata
- Alcea nudiflora
- Alcea pallida
- Alcea rhyticarpa
- Alcea rosea — common hollyhock
- Alcea rugosa
- Alcea setosa — bristly hollyhock
- Alcea sosnovskyi
- Alcea striata
- Alcea sulphurea
Uses[edit]
Hollyhocks are popular garden ornamental plants. They are easily grown from seed. Breeds 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.[3]
The stems of hollyhocks can be used as firewood, and the roots have been used medicinally.[1][4]
Pests and diseases[edit]
Alcea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix quadrigemina and Vanessa cardui, the Painted Lady.
The mallow flea beetle (Podagrica fuscicornis) is a pest that makes tiny holes in the leaves. Cutworms, aphids, and capsid bugs use the plant as a food source in hotter and drier conditions.[5] A number of weevils use A. rosea as their host plant, including Rhopalapion longirostre, Alocentron curvirostre, and Aspidapion validum.[6]
The plants are also susceptible to the pathogenic fungus Puccinia malvacearum, the hollyhock rust.[7]
Culture[edit]
A hollyhock flower, known in Japan as aoi (葵?), was incorporated into the official seal (mon) of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, and through this influence has maintained importance in modern Japanese culture. For example, it inspired the name and symbol of Mito HollyHock, a professional soccer club in a city formerly led by the Tokugawa family. The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) is one of the three main festivals of the city of Kyoto.
Gallery[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Tang, Y. et al. "Alcea". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO, and Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ GRIN Species Records of Alcea. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
- ^ Hollyhock: A. rosea. Better Homes and Gardens.
- ^ Aydin, S.; Öztürk, Y.; Başer, K. H. C.; Kirimer, N.; Kurtar-Öztürk, N. (1992). "Effects of Alcea pallida L. (A.) and Tilia argentea Desf. Ex DC infusions on swimming performance in mice". Phytotherapy Research 6 (4): 219–220. doi:10.1002/ptr.2650060411. edit
- ^ Brickell, C., Ed. The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Dorling Kindersly, London. 1996. pg. 93. ISBN 0-7513-0436-0
- ^ Wilhelm, G., et al. (2011). Sexual dimorphism in head structures of the weevil Rhopalapion longirostre (Olivier 1807) (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea): a response to ecological demands of egg deposition. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 104(3) 642-60.
- ^ Hollyhock rust. Royal Horticultural Society.
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Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alcea&oldid=646847843 |
Canada
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
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Vervain Mallow is very similar in appearance to another mallow that is often cultivated, Musk Mallow (Malva moschata). Vervain Mallow differs from the latter species by having leaves that are less deeply lobed, floral bracts that are ovate in shape rather than oblong-linear, and mericarps that have hairless outer sides rather than pubescent sides. Another species, High Mallow (Malva sylvestris), differs from the preceding mallows by having leaves that lack secondary lobes and its flowers are often a deeper shade of pink or purple. All of these Eurasian species have attractive flowers.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/verv_mallow.html |
This species also resembles Alcea rosea L. but differs by having dense, persistent stellate hairs on the stem.
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Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250071360 |
This is a perennial plant about 1½-3½' tall that branches occasionally. The stems are light green, angular or terete, and glabrous to slightly pubescent. Alternate leaves occur along these stems; they have long petioles. Individual leaves are 1½-3¼" long and similarly across; they are palmately lobed (3-7 primary lobes each). Individual lobes are irregularly pinnatifid and dentate. Generally, the primary lobes of the leaves are moderately deep, while the secondary lobes are more shallow; lower leaves are less deeply lobed than upper leaves. The upper leaf surface is yellowish green to dark green and glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is light green and glabrous to slightly pubescent. The petioles are as long as the leaves or longer; they are light green and glabrous to slightly pubescent. The upper and lateral stems terminate in clusters of flowers. Each flower is 1½-2½" across, consisting of 5 white to pink petals, 5 light green sepals, and a white columnar structure with the reproductive organs. Individual petals are obcordate-obdeltate with somewhat ragged outer margins; sometimes they have fine radiating veins that are rosy pink. The sepals are about one-third the length of the petals, ovate in shape, and densely pubescent; they are joined together at the base. Underneath the sepals of each flower, there are 3 sepal-like bracts that are ovate in shape and densely pubescent; they are a little shorter than the sepals. Pedicels and peduncles of the flowers are light green, densely pubescent, and rather short (less than 2" in length). The blooming period occurs during the summer for 1-2 months. Individual flowers are short-lived. Each flower is replaced by a ring of mericarps (hardened structures containing one or more seeds). For this species, each mericarp contains a single seed. The mericarps are about ¼" long, reniform, and hairless. This plant reproduces by reseeding itself.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/verv_mallow.html |