Leaf
Hervé Goëau, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Hollyhock
Alcea rosea L.
Family: Malvaceae
1.5 to 2.5 m tall
Gardens, walls, borders, ordinary well-drained soils
Flowering: June – September
Full sun
Hardy to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its tall stems covered in flowers from bottom to top make it an emblematic plant of traditional cottage gardens.
🍃 Leaves
Broad, rounded, crinkled, slightly rough
🌸 Flowers
Very large single or double flowers, in varied colours, borne in tiers along a tall stem
🍎 Fruits
Disc-shaped capsules containing many flat seeds
🪵 Bark
Sturdy erect stem, often biennial
🗺️ Distribution
Uncertain origin (Asia/southern Europe); widely cultivated and sometimes self-sown along walls in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Large pollen-rich flowers, much visited by bees, notably solitary bees that specialise in mallows.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Back of the border, along walls and fences; spectacular vertical silhouette, traditional cottage gardens.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌿 Other Malvaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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