ALCEA BIENNIS

Family and Genus:- See- MALVACEAE

Common Name:- Wild hollyhock

Homotypic Synonyms:- Althaea biennis.

Meaning:- Alcea (Gr) A name used by the Greek physician and botanist

Dioscorides.

Biennis (L) Biennial, with a life of two years.

General description:- Medium to tall hairy biennial.

Stem:-

1) 1-2 m tall, erect, simple or sparingly branched, tomentose with a mixture of long

and short stellate hairs.

Leaves:-

1) Lower and middle, long-petiolate; blade 10-20 cm in diam., cordate-orbicular to

rhombic-deltate, crenate, undivided, or divided for c. 1/3 of the radius into 3-5

obtuse lobes, greyish-tomentose, especially beneath.

Flowers:-

1) Solitary or in small clusters in a long, spike-like inflorescence.

2) Epicalyx, almost equalling the calyx, segments broadly triangular.

3) Petals, 30-40 mm, obcordate, contiguous, usually pinkish-mauve.

Fruit:-

1) Mericarps, 4·5-6 mm; dorsal face with deep, fairly broad furrow; angles rugose,

produced into slightly divergent wings.

Key features:-

1) Epicalyx, at least 3/4 as long as the calyx.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Roadsides and open woodland. 0-600(-1200) m.

Distribution:- Scattered on mainland Greece and Peloponnisos and elsewhere in

SE Europe. Scattered across Crete.

Flowering time:- Late Apr to May.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton