Hollyhock
Alcea rosea
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Lavender, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Salmon, White, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late fall, Mid summer, Mid fall. Form: Upright or erect.
Alcea rosea is a PERENNIAL growing to 2.4 m (7ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 2.4
Where it is found
Not known in a truly wild situation.
The original habitat is obscure, it is probably of hybrid origin. A garden escape in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves - raw or cooked. A mild flavour, but the texture leaves something to be desired. They have been used as a pot-herb, though they are not particularly palatable. They can also be chopped up finely and added to salads. Inner portion of young stems - raw. Flower petals and flower buds - raw. Added to salads. A nutritious starch is obtained from the root. A refreshing tea is made from the flower petals.
Oil: Oil
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The flowers are demulcent, diuretic and emollient. They are useful in the treatment of chest complaints, and a decoction is used to improve blood circulation, for the treatment of constipation, dysmenorrhoea, haemorrhage etc. The flowers are harvested when they are open and are dried for later use. The shoots are used to ease a difficult labour. The root is astringent and demulcent. It is crushed and applied as a poultice to ulcers. Internally, it is used in the treatment of dysentery. The roots and the flowers are used in Tibetan medicine, where they are said to have a sweet, acrid taste and a neutral potency. They are used in the treatment of inflammations of the kidneys/womb, vaginal/seminal discharge, and the roots on their own are used to treat loss of appetite. The seed is demulcent, diuretic and febrifuge.
Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Demulcent: Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Other
Rating: 3
A fibre obtained from the stems is used in papermaking. 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. The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator. 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. The seed contains 12% of a drying oil. The red anthocyanin constituent of the flowers is used as a litmus. A brown dye is obtained from the petals.
Compost: Plants used for activating compost heaps, providing biomass for composting, using as instant compost etc.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Litmus: Used for testing whether a substance is acid or alkaline.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Foundation, Specimen. Succeeds in most soils. Poor soils should be enriched with organic matter. Prefers a heavy rich soil and a sheltered sunny position. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. A very ornamental plant, it is usually grown as a biennial due to its susceptibility to the fungal disease 'rust'. There are many named varieties. Young plants, and also the young growth in spring, are very attractive to slugs. Special Features:Attracts birds, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 10 through 3. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread.
Propagating it: Seed - sow April/May or August/September in pots or in situ. Easily grown from seed, which usually germinates in about 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division after flowering. Only use rust-free specimens. Root cuttings in December. Basal cuttings at almost any time of year.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
Althaea rosea.