Hollyhock
From Freepedia
| Hollyhock | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Alcea setosa.jpg Alcea setosa | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
|
About 60 species, including: |
The hollyhocks comprise about 60 species of flowering plants in the genus Alcea in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to southwest and central Asia. They are biennial or short-lived perennial plants growing to 1-3 m tall, with broad, rounded, palmately lobed leaves and numerous flowers, pink or yellow in the wild species, on the erect central stem.
Uses
Hollyhocks are popular garden ornamental plants, with numerous cultivars selected, particularly from A. rosea. The flowers have been selected for variations in colour, with dark purple, red and white-flowered plants available in addition to the colours found in wild plants.
