Malva alcea

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 689. 1753.

Common names: Hollyhock or Vervain mallow mauve alcée
IntroducedWeedy
Synonyms: Malva alcea var. fastigiata (Cavanilles) K. Koch
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 287. Mentioned on page 286, 288, 289.

Herbs, perennial, 0.3–1.3 m, usually stellate-canescent. Stems erect, sparsely hirsute proximally, stellate-hairy distally, hairs often pustulose. Leaves: stipules deciduous, lanceolate, slightly falcate, 5 (–10) × 1–2.5 mm, ciliate; petioles of lower leaves 1.5–2.5 times as long as blade, reduced distally to 1/2 blade length, stellate-hairy; blade 2–8 × 2–8 cm, base cordate to somewhat truncate, those most distal sometimes wide-cuneate, surfaces stellate-hairy, proximal leaf-blades cordate-orbiculate, margins crenate to dentate, shallowly lobed, apex rounded, distal leaf-blades deeply (3–) 5-lobed, lobe margins obtusely dentate or pinnatifid, apex narrowly acute. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary or distal flowers in racemes. Pedicels conspicuously jointed distally, 1.4–2 cm, not much longer in fruit; involucellar bractlets distinct, not adnate to calyx, ovate or ovate-deltate to obovate, narrowed to base, 5–8 (–12) × 2.5 (–5) mm, shorter than calyx, margins entire, surfaces stellate-hairy or glabrate. Flowers: calyx 9–12 (–15) mm, lobes enclosing mericarps, stellate-hairy; petals usually bright pink, rarely white, 20–35 mm, length 2.5–3 times calyx; staminal column 9–10 mm, sparsely stellate-hairy; style 18–20-branched; stigmas 18–20. Schizocarps 4–8 mm diam.; mericarps 18–20, black, 2.4–2.8 mm, apical surface and margins rounded, smooth or faintly ridged, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Seeds brown, 2.5 mm. 2n = 84.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, old farm sites
Elevation: 0–400 m

Distribution

V6 523-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; N.B., N.S., Ont., Que., Sask., Conn., Idaho, Ind., Maine, Mass., Mich., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., R.I., Vt., Wash., Wis., Europe, w Asia

Discussion

Malva alcea is found in most of Europe, but is rare in the Mediterranean region, and barely extends into Turkey in western Asia. The leaf shape, indument, and shape and size of the petals are variable, the most extreme forms having deeply 2-fid petals and deeply divided distal leaves with narrow, almost simple lobes. It occasionally hybridizes with M. sylvestris (Malva ×egarensis Cadevall) and M. moschata (Malva ×intermedia Boreau).

Malva alcea is sparingly naturalized in North America, primarily in New England and around the Great Lakes into eastern Canada; it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental and naturalizes locally.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broad" is not a number."-2.5timesaslongasblade" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."thicker" is not a number. "thin" is not a number.

... more about "Malva alcea"
indehiscent +
acute;rounded +
hairy +  and glabrous +
ridged +  and rounded +
hairy +  and glabrous +
ridged +  and rounded +
Steven R. Hill +
Linnaeus +
cordate to somewhat +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
divided +, 3-7(-9)-lobed +, unlobed +, reniform +  and orbiculate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
not adnate +  and distinct +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
hairy +  and glabrous +
narrowed +, ovate-deltate +  and obovate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (?) +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
Hollyhock or Vervain mallow +  and mauve alcée +
(3-)5-lobed +  and wide-cuneate +
N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Conn. +, Idaho +, Ind. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, Wash. +, Wis. +, Europe +  and w Asia +
0–400 m +
sparse;copious +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
Disturbed areas, roadsides, old farm sites +
pustulose +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
pinnatifid +  and dentate +
stellate-hairy +
lobed;crenate;dentate +
oblong +  and reniform +
0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
3-40-carpellate +
(1-)2-many +
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
white;bright pink +
adnate +  and distinct +
2.5-3 times calyx +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0 +  and 1/2 +
Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep). +
cordate-orbiculate +
4mm +  and 8mm +
adherent +
notched +  and reniform-rounded +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (?) +
persistent +
Introduced +  and Weedy +
sessile +  and subsessile +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
stellate-hairy +  and hirsute +
18 +  and 20 +
filiform +, linear +  and capitate +
1-2 times number of carpels +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
falcate +  and lanceolate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
18-20-branched +
glabrate +  and stellate-hairy +
Malva alcea var. fastigiata +
Malva alcea +
species +
stellate-canescent +
monoecious +, dioecious +  and hermaphroditic +