''Alcea digitata'', the fingered hollyhock, is a tall

hollyhock ''Alcea'' is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the Iliamna rivularis, streamban ...

with large flowers native to the Middle East.

Description

A medium to tall (up to 3 m), hairy hollyhock with large, pinkish, or pale flowers (petals to 50 mm). The leaves (particularly upper ones) are distinctively divided into spreading finger-like lobes whose edges are irregular and at times sublobed, the lobes at the base of the leaf tending to point rather backward. Whilst the leaf-end lobe is larger than the others but not hugely so. The low leaves can be well-divided into fingers or just shallowly lobed. The stem is narrow (to 12 mm) and branched only at the base.The hairs are star-like (sparse or dense). When tall, its height mostly comprises a long flower stalk with little leafage. It is found at roadsides, fields, rocky slopes, steppe, and maquis. The epicalyx is large (>=50% calyx). The fruit segments with wingless edges, conspicuously wrinkled, pilose hairy (the sides sparsely).

Distribution

The plant's range includes Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. In Turkey, it has been found growing at an elevation range of 20–2400 metres.

Botanical photographs

Photographs from Antalya unless indicated. File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 29.jpg, Typical look in flower File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 33.jpg, Typical look in flower File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 18.jpg, Topmost flowers File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 03.jpg, Growing plant File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 06.jpg, Growing plant File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 01.jpg, Leaf shape with end lobe only a little longer and base-lobes backward-pointing File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 21.jpg, Flower side, showing stellate large epicalyx (>=50% calyx) File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 25.jpg, Flower underside File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 26.jpg, Floral organs in flower centre File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 23.jpg, Petal base showing hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 10.jpg, Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 11.jpg, Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 34.jpg, Calyx with stellate hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 35.jpg, Flower stalk File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 08.jpg, Leaf with narrower lobes File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 27.jpg, Leaf with broader lobes (lowest leaves may be very shallow-lobed) File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 02.jpg, Leaf underside with coarse and fine stellate hairs (upper leaves less coarsely) File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 05.jpg, Leaf upperside File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 14.jpg, Leaf stalk with coarser hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 15.jpg, Stem with coarser hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 30.jpg, Stem with sparse hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 39.jpg, Stem with coarse and many less coarse hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 20.jpg, Inflorescence stem with less coarse hairs File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 28.jpg, Exceptionally tall plant, in flower File:Alcea digitata in Antalya by David Merrick 13.jpg, Exceptionally tall plant (reaching just beyond top of photo)

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15355452 digitata Flora of Iran Flora of Lebanon Flora of Palestine (region) Flora of Syria Flora of Turkey