Alcea rosea Hollyhock (Malvaceae)

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Alcea rosea
Hollyhock
(1 Page of 5)

The Alcea rosea plant species is found in The original habitat is obscure, it is probably of hybrid origin. A garden escape in Britain[17]. It is a member of the Malvaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Hollyhock. Some home gardeners know the variety as Althaea rosea.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Alcea rosea
Common Name:  Hollyhock
Family:  Malvaceae
Author:  L.

Known Hazards:  None known

Mature Height:  2.4   Mature Width:  0.6

Habitat:  Not known in a truly wild situation.

General Uses: A fibre obtained from the stems is used in papermaking[189]. The fibres are about 1.9mm long. The stems are harvested in late summer, the leaves are removed and the stems are steamed until the fibres can be removed. The fibres are cooked with lye for 2 hours and then ball milled for 3 hours or pounded with mallets. The paper is light tan in colour[189]. The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator[32]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. The seed contains 12% of a drying oil[114, 240]. The red anthocyanin constituent of the flowers is used as a litmus[114]. A brown dye is obtained from the petals[168].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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