Synonyms

Althaea nudiflora Lindl.: Alcea nudiflora (Lindl.) Boiss.

Althaea officinalis L.: Althaea kragujevacensis Pančic ex Diklic & Stevan.; Althaea micrantha Wiesb. ex Borbás; Althaea sublobata Stokes; Althaea taurinensis DC.; Althaea vulgaris Bubani; Malva althaea E.H.L. Krause; Malva maritima Salisb.; Malva officinalis (L.) Schimp. & Spenn. ex Schimp. & Spenn.

Local Names

Althaea nudiflora: Russian: Aлтeйгoлoцвeтный (Altey golotsvetnyy); Uzbek: Oq gulhairy; Kyrgyz: Tукcузгулдуугулкaйыp (Tuksuz gulduu gulkayyr); English: Naked flowered hollyhock

Althaea officinalis: Russian: Aлтeйлeкapcтвeнный (Altey lekarstvennyy); Uzbek: Dorivor gulhairi; Kyrgyz: Дapыгулкaн (Dary gulkan); English: Common marshmallow (Sokolov 1985)

Botany and Ecology

Althea nudiflora: Perennial, 75–200 cm high; stems simple, mostly several, erect or rarely angularly curved at base, terete or slightly angled, unbranched, sometimes dingy-purple at base, rarely almost glabrous (f. subgiabra Iljin), commonly with scattered long-rayed stellate hairs, these interspersed in upper part of stem with more numerous small stellate hairs (f. pilosa Iljin); more rarely whole plant rather densely hairy, in lower part with dense coat of long-rayed stellate recurved hairs (f. hirsutissima Iljin); leaves long-petioled; petioles hairy, lower 14–28 cm long, greatly exceeding blade, middle slightly longer than to equal to blade, upper shorter than blade; leaf -blade large, round in outline, cordate at base, rather shallowly 7-lobed (upper 5-lobed, uppermost 3-lobed); lobes semiorbicular to suboblong, outer ones in lower leaves sometimes overlapping, obtuse, and crenate-dentate (f. obtusiloba Iljin), more rarely acute and sharply dentate (f. acutiloba Iljin); uppermost leaves much reduced in size, very shallowly cordate to subtruncate at base, with somewhat elongated central lobe; lower surface prominently netted-veined, stellate-pubescent, upper with more scattered stellate hairs or subglabrous; stipules 3- or 4-parted, pubescent, caducous; flowers in elongated raceme, about equal to subtending leaves; pedicels 0.5–3 cm long; epicalyx 10–15 cm long, parted to 6 or 7(5) oblong to oblong-ovate subacute segments; calyx 16–22 mm long, from less than 1/2–2 times length of epicalyx, divided to oblong subacute lobes; both epicalyx and calyx copiously stellate-hairy; corolla white, at base yellowish, when dry somewhat rosy-tinged with greenish base, 2/2.5 times length of calyx; petals broadly obovate or oblong-obovate, 3.5–6.5 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, distinctly notched at apex, attenuate claw densely woolly at base; fruit 16–22 mm in diameter, with conic or flattened hairy carpophore; carpels 28–34, strongly compressed, mostly ovate or almost round, 3.5–6 mm long and 5–6.5 mm across, back 1.5–2 mm broad, wings thin, radially wrinkled, glabrous, entire (angular at outlets of veins), 0.75–1.5 mm broad, extending throughout carpel except hairy beak; narrow dorsal channel stellate-hairy at bottom; sides around notch somewhat convex, glabrous, part between this raised section and glabrous wings densely covered with antrorse hairs, or very rarely hairs scarcely developed (f. leiocarpa Iljin); seed lunate, slightly elongate and often slightly hairy at upper end, rounded at lower end, scarcely channeled on back, 3–3.5 mm long and 2–3 mm broad, reddish-brown or almost gray, glabrous or densely pustulose, dull. Flowering end of May–September; fruiting July–September. Altai, Middle Asia, in meadows, mountain steppes; steppe-like and exposed plant habitats; stony steppe slopes, dry meadows, rocks, screes, fallows, and fields of the mountain zone (Shishkin 1949) (Figs. 1 and 2).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Alcea rosea (Malvaceae), garden, Chicani, Bolivia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

Full size image
Fig. 2
figure 2

Alcea rosea (Malvaceae), garden, Chicani, Bolivia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

Full size image

Althea officinalis: Perennial, 60–150 cm high, covered with many-pronged or substellate hairs, in upper part often velutinous-sericeous; rhizome branched, with rather fleshy thickish roots; stem erect, simple, or slightly branched, one to several, terete, lower part glabrous at flowering, sometimes dingy-purple, in thicker stems with interrupted longitudinal furrows passing at base into almost reticulate pattern with elongated loops; petioles usually much shorter than blade, 2–6.25 cm long; lower leaves broad-ovate to almost round or reniform, with cordate, rounded, or truncate base, mostly obtuse, often with one or two weak lobes on each side, wilting at flowering and fruiting; middle leaves similar, mostly rounded or truncate at base, more entire, 5–15 cm long and 3–12.5 cm broad; upper leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, acute, rounded, or broadly cuneate at base; all leaves irregularly crenate-dentate, usually more densely hairy beneath; stipules narrowly lanceolate or linear, caducous; flowers on pedicels 2–10 mm long, borne on many-flowered, rarely 2- or 3-flowered peduncle in axils of upper and middle leaves, peduncle (with flowers) equaling or slightly exceeding petiole, rarely to 12 cm long; solitary flowers on pedicels 2–4 cm long occasionally arise from axils in addition to peduncles; epicalyx of 8–12 linear segments connate only at base, 3–6 mm long, about half calyx length; calyx 6–12 mm long, divided to two-thirds into triangular-ovate acuminate lobes, half-length of corolla, enclosing fruit; corolla pale rose or almost white, rarely reddish-rose; petals 10(8)–20(21) mm long and 6–17 mm broad, broadly obovate to oblong obovate, shallowly notched at apex, sides of claw hairy-ciliate; staminal column and filaments sparsely scaberulous-papillose; fruit 7–8(10)mm across, of 15–25 carpels; carpels 3–3.5 mm long, 2.5–3 mm across (view from the side), back 1–1.5 mm broad, with rather faint dorsal nerve and slight transverse wrinkles, with obtuse slightly rounded margins, densely covered throughout with stellate hairs; sides thin, glabrous and smooth, slightly wrinkled radially and hairy only in narrow marginal strip; seed dark brown, glabrous and smooth, reniform, 2.5 mm long and 1.75 mm broad. Flowering and fruiting July–August (September). Ural, Caucasus, Altai, Middle Asia, on meadows, especially on salIn soils, in coastal thickets, on boggy areas, on banks of irrigation ditches and rivers, on solonchaks. (Shishkin 1949) (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3
figure 3

Alcea rosea (Malvaceae), garden, Chicani, Bolivia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

Full size image

Phytochemistry

Carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose, starch, pectIn pentoses, methylpentosans, uronic cids, pentosans, D-galacturonic acid, L-arabinose L-rhamnose, D-glucose, D-galactose, ralacturonic acid, xylose, rhamnose, galactose, arabinan, and galactan), organic acids (malic acid), essential oils, latex-like substances, steroids (phytosterol), nitrogen-containing compounds (betaine), vitamins (C, carotene), tannins (Sokolov 1985).

Local Medicinal Uses

In traditional medicine as infusion used for tuberculosis, cough, bronchitis, as eye-wash in case of blepharitis, for the treatment of gastritis, enterocolitis, cystitis, and diarrhea. Also used to eliminate irritation during inflammatory and ulcerative processes of the mucous membranes, for skin tumors and furunculosis. In Azerbaijan, the plants are used for the treatment of scabies and allergic dermatoses, and as tea for colds and cough. In Tajikistan against vomiting (Sokolov 1985).

Local Handicraft and Other Uses

In veterinary medicine used to treat inflammations of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and as anti-inflammatory. The stems yield coarse fibers. The leaves are used to dye wool red, bluish-black, gray, and dark purple. Planted as ornamental (Sokolov 1985).