Saturday 9 August 2008

Alcea pallida

Over the years I've attempted to grow from seed various hollyhocks, including Alcea pallida, other than forms of the common Alcea rosea, but generally without success in keeping the plants until they reached flowering size. (I have a plant of "kurdica" currently flowering.)

However, yesterday, in a garden centre I came across a few plants labelled as Alcea pallida. (As they looked nearly dead I didn't buy any.) The flowers are quite distinct from Alcea rosea; they are markedly smaller, and the petals are narrow (non-overlapping) and distinctly bilobed.

Alcea77

August comment thread

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