Perennials > Alcea > Alcea rosea > Alcea rosea
Alcea rosea
Common Hollyhock, 蜀葵 shu kui (Chinese)
Origin: Originally from southwestern Asia (China) and the Balkans and thought to have been introduced into western Europe in the 15th century. It is now widespread and frequently found in most of the temperate northern hemisphere where in some cases it has escaped garden cultivation and is naturalized. It is not currently known to exist in any wild populations.
| Family |
| Malvaceae |
| Genus |
| Alcea |
| Species |
| rosea |
| Category |
| Perennials |
| Synonyms |
| Althaea rosea |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 2 - 10 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -15 - (-10) |
| Height |
| 1.5 - 2.5 m |
| Spread |
| 0.5 - 1 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Genus name is the Latin name from the Greek word alkaia for a kind of mallow. |
| Landscape |
| Flowers border/beds, wall-side borders, cottages and informal gardens. |
| Cultivation |
| Full sun and partial-shade. Well-drained, chalk, sand or loam with a neutral, acid or alkaline pH. Avoid the use of overhead watering. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Pests |
| Slugs, caterpillars and flea beetles when young growth. Susceptible to rust, leaf spot and anthracnose. Spider mites and Japanese beetles can be a problem. |
| Leaf Description |
| Large, heart-shaped leaves that have 3 - 7 lobes and gets progressively smaller towards the top of the spire. Rigid, towering spikes or spires that reach a height of 1 - 2.5 m tall. |
| Flower Description |
| Showy funnel-shapped flowers. Tall and erect racemes in summer. 10 - 12 cm in diameter, outward-facing, single flowers. |
| Colour Description |
| Flowers are a purplish-pink, reddish-white or yellow in colour. The leaves are green in colour. |
| Texture Description |
| The leaves are rough in texture. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Kincarden, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| Seed. Sown in gentle hear in mid-winter or in-situ in spring. |
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