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Hollyhock - Alcea rosea
Family: Malvaceae
Flower: Yellow, Purple, Pink, White, Apricot
Growing Season: Spring to fall, Perennial
Height: 24 -60 Inches ( 2ft-5ft)
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
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Culture:
Well drained soil, full sun.
Succeeds in most soils. Poor soils should be enriched with organic
matter. Prefers a heavy rich soil and a sheltered sunny position.
Plants are hardy to about -15—c. A very ornamental plant,
it is usually grown as a biennial due to its susceptability to
the fungal disease 'rust'. There are many named varieties. Young
plants, and also the young growth in spring, are very attractive
to slugs.
Propagation:
Seed - sow April/May or August/September
in pots. The seed usually germinates in about 2 - 3 weeks at
20—c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out
into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division after flowering. Only
use rust-free specimens. Root cuttings in December. Basal cuttings
at almost any time of year. |
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Edible Uses:
Flowers; Leaves; Root; Stem;
Tea.
- Young leaves - raw or cooked.
A mild flavour, but the texture leaves something to be desired.
They have been used as a pot-herb, though they are not particularly
palatable. They can also be chopped up finely and added to salads.
- Inner portion of young stems
- raw.
- Flower petals and flower buds
- raw. Added to salads.
- A nutritious starch is obtained
from the root.
- A refreshing tea is made from
the flower petals.
Medicinal Uses:
Antiinflammatory; Astringent;
Demulcent; Diuretic; Emollient; Febrifuge. The flowers are demulcent,
diuretic and emollient. They are useful in the treatment of chest
complaints, and a decoction is used to improve blood circulation,
for the treatment of constipation, dysmenorrhoea, haemorrhage
etc. The flowers are harvested when they are open and are dried
for later use.
The shoots are used to ease a difficult labour. The root is astringent
and demulcent. It is crushed and applied as a poultice to ulcers.
Internally, it is used in the treatment of dysentry. The roots
and the flowers are used in tibetan medicine, where they are
said to have a sweet, acrid taste and a neutral potency. They
are used in the treatment of inflammations of the kidneys/womb,
vaginal/seminal discharge, and the roots on their own are used
to treat loss of appetite.
The seed is demulcent, diureti and febrifuge.
Other Uses:
Compost; Dye; Litmus; Oil; Paper.
A fibre obtained from the stems is used in papermaking. The fibres
are about 1.9mm long. The stems are harvested in late summer,
the leaves are removed and the stems are steamed until the fibres
can be removed. The fibres are cooked with lye for 2 hours and
then ball milled for 3 hours or pounded with mallets. The paper
is light tan in colour.
The flowers are an alternative
ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator. This is
a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added
to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and
thus shorten the time needed to make the compost. The seed contains
12% of a drying oil.
The red anthocyanin constituent
of the flowers is used as a litmus. A brown dye is obtained from
the petals.
Origin: China |
