''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, streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus.

Description

Hollyhocks are annual, Biennial plant, biennial, or perennial plants usually taking an erect, unbranched form. The herbage usually has a coating of star-shaped hairs. The leaf blades are often lobed or toothed, and are borne on long petiole (botany), petioles. The flowers may be solitary or arranged in Fascicle (botany), fascicles or racemes. The notched petals are usually over three centimeters wide and may be pink, white, purple, or yellow. The fruit is a schizocarp, a dry disc divided into over 15 sections that contain seeds.

Species

The following species are accepted: *''Alcea abchazica'' Iljin *''Alcea acaulis'' (Cav.) Alef. *''Alcea afghanica'' I.Riedl *''Alcea antoninae'' Iljin *''Alcea apterocarpa'' (Fenzl) Boiss. *''Alcea arbelensis'' Boiss. & Hausskn. *''Alcea assadii'' Pakravan *''Alcea aucheri'' (Boiss.) Alef. *''Alcea baldshuanica'' (Bornm.) Iljin *''Alcea biennis'' Winterl *''Alcea calvertii'' (Boiss.) Boiss. *''Alcea chrysantha'' (Sam.) Zohary *''Alcea damascena'' (Mouterde) Mouterde *''Alcea denudata'' Boiss. *''Alcea digitata'' (Boiss.) Alef. *''Alcea dissecta'' (Baker f.) Zohary *''Alcea djahromi'' Parsa *''Alcea excubita'' Iljin *''Alcea fasciculiflora'' Zohary *''Alcea ficifolia'' L. – Antwerp hollyhock *''Alcea flavovirens'' (Boiss. & Buhse) Iljin *''Alcea freyniana'' Iljin *''Alcea froloviana'' (Litv.) Iljin *''Alcea galilaea'' Zohary *''Alcea ghahremanii'' Pakravan & Assadi *''Alcea gorganica'' (Rech.f., Aellen & Esfand.) Zohary *''Alcea heldreichii'' (Boiss.) Boiss. *''Alcea hohenackeri'' Boiss. *''Alcea hyrcana'' Grossh. *''Alcea ilamica'' Pakravan *''Alcea iranshahrii'' Pakravan, Ghahr. & Assadi *''Alcea karakalensis'' Freyn *''Alcea karsiana'' (Bordz.) Litv. *''Alcea koelzii'' I.Riedl *''Alcea kopetdaghensis'' Iljin *''Alcea kuhsanguia'' Parsa *''Alcea kurdica'' (Schltdl.) Alef. *''Alcea kusjariensis'' (Iljin ex Grossh.) Iljin *''Alcea lasiocalycina'' Boiss. *''Alcea lavateriflora'' (DC.) Boiss. *''Alcea lenkoranica'' Iljin *''Alcea litvinovii'' (Iljin) Iljin *''Alcea loftusii'' (Baker f.) Zohary *''Alcea longipedicellata'' I.Riedl *''Alcea mazandaranica'' Pakravan & Ghahr. *''Alcea mosulensis'' I.Riedl *''Alcea mozaffarianii'' Ghahr. & Pakravan & Assadi *''Alcea nikitinii'' Iljin *''Alcea nudiflora'' (Lindl.) Boiss. *''Alcea peduncularis'' Boiss. & Hausskn. *''Alcea pisidica'' Hub.-Mor. *''Alcea popovii'' Iljin *''Alcea rechingeri'' (Zohary) I.Riedl *''Alcea remotiflora'' (Boiss. & Heldr.) Alef. *''Alcea rhyticarpa'' (Trautv.) Iljin *''Alcea rosea'' L. – common hollyhock *''Alcea rosulata'' I.Riedl *''Alcea rufescens'' (Boiss.) Boiss. *''Alcea rugosa'' Alef. *''Alcea scabridula'' I.Riedl *''Alcea schirazana'' Alef. *''Alcea semnanica'' Pakravan *''Alcea setosa'' (Boiss.) Alef. – bristly hollyhock *''Alcea sophiae'' Iljin *''Alcea sosnovskyi'' Iljin *''Alcea sotudehi'' Parsa *''Alcea striata'' (DC.) Alef. *''Alcea sulphurea'' (Boiss. & Hohen.) Alef. *''Alcea sycophylla'' Iljin & V.V.Nikitin *''Alcea tabrisiana'' (Boiss. & Buhse) Iljin *''Alcea talassica'' Iljin *''Alcea tarica'' Pakravan & Ghahr. *''Alcea teheranica'' Parsa *''Alcea tholozanii'' Stapf *''Alcea transcaucasica'' (Iljin) Iljin *''Alcea turcomanica'' Iljin *''Alcea turkeviczii'' Iljin *''Alcea vameghii'' Parsa *''Alcea wilhelminae'' I.Riedl *''Alcea woronowii'' (Iljin ex Grossh.) Iljin *''Alcea xanthochlora'' I.Riedl

Uses

Hollyhocks are popular garden ornamental plants. They are easily grown from seed. Breeds with red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterfly, butterflies. Cultivars have been bred, especially from ''A. rosea''. They include the double-flowered 'Chater's Double', the raspberry (color), raspberry-colored 'Creme de Cassis', and 'The Watchman', which has dark, nearly black, maroon flowers.Hollyhock: ''A. rosea''.
''Better Homes and Gardens''. The stems of hollyhocks can be used as firewood, and the roots have been used medicinally.

Pests and diseases

''Alcea'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Bucculatrix quadrigemina'' and ''Vanessa cardui'', the painted lady. The podagrica fuscicornis, mallow flea beetle (''Podagrica fuscicornis'') is a pest that makes tiny holes in the leaves. Cutworms, aphids, and Miridae, capsid bugs use the plant as a food source in hotter and drier conditions. A number of weevils use ''A. rosea'' as their host plant, including ''Rhopalapion longirostre'', ''Alocentron curvirostre'', and ''Aspidapion validum''.Wilhelm, G., et al. (2011)
Sexual dimorphism in head structures of the weevil ''Rhopalapion longirostre'' (Olivier 1807) (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea): a response to ecological demands of egg deposition.
''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 104(3) 642-60. The plants are also susceptible to the pathogenic fungus ''Puccinia malvacearum'', the hollyhock rust.

Culture

The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) is one of the three main festivals of the city of Kyoto. During the Victorian era, the hollyhock symbolized both ambition and fecundity in the language of flowers. The National Plant Collection, UK National Collection of hollyhocks is held by Jonathan Sheppard in Lincolnshire. File:Aoix2.jpg, Man carrying a hollyhock float during the Aoi Matsuri procession

Gallery

File:Hollyhock - Kolkata 2011-02-25 1734.JPG, ''Alcea'' sp. File:Alcea-setosa--Chotmit--Zachi-Evenor.jpg, ''Alcea setosa'' File:Alcea rosea3 ies.jpg, Sepals File:Malva negra - Alcea rosea var. nigra - Hollyhock (7448054488).jpg, ''Alcea rosea'' 'Nigra' File:Alcea Rosea Hollyhocks flower plant.jpg, ''Alcea'' sp. File:Alcea Rosea Hollyhocks flower plant - Closer look.jpg, ''Alcea'' sp. Closer look at the flower

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Alcea, Malveae Malvaceae genera Perennial plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus