How much do you know about the growth habits of hollyhock?

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Hollyhock has large leaves, abundant flowers, vivid colors, and a long blooming period, making it one of the more commonly cultivated flowers in gardens. Dwarf varieties can be grown as potted flowers, or cut for use as cut flowers, for vase arrangements, flower baskets, bouquets, and so on.

Other names for hollyhock

Hollyhock, also known as yizhanghong, shujihua, rongkui, wukui, weizukui, hukui, doupeng hua, and shujie hua, is a perennial herbaceous flower of the mallow family (Malvaceae) and the genus Alcea. Because it originated in Sichuan, China, it is called shukui (Sichuan mallow). And because it can reach about one zhang in height and its flowers are mostly red, it is also called yizhanghong.

Morphological characteristics of hollyhock

Hollyhock is a biennial herbaceous plant, with plants reaching a height of2m to3m, with erect, upright stems, growing in clumps, unbranched, and the whole plant covered with stellate hairs and bristles. The leaves are nearly round-cordate or oblong, 6cm to18cm long and5cm to20cm wide, with the basal leaves being larger; the leaves are rough, with stellate hairs on both surfaces, and the petioles are5cm to15cm long.

Flowers are solitary or nearly clustered in the leaf axils, sometimes arranged in racemes. There are6～9bracteoles, broadly lanceolate, united at the base, attached outside the calyx tube. There are5sepals, ovate-lanceolate. The corolla is6～13cm in diameter, in colors such as purple, purplish red, pink, light red, purple-black, yellow, and white, as well as bicolor varieties with different colors at the edges. There are5petals or more, obovate, with wavy and wrinkled or toothed margins, single, semi-double, to double. Stamens are numerous, with the anthers united into a tube surrounding the style; the style is linear, protruding above the stamens. The capsule is flat and round, and the seeds are kidney-shaped, with the back edge raised like a rooster's comb and oblique lines on the sides; the 1000-seed weight is about9.2g.

Living habits of hollyhock

Hollyhock prefers full sunlight and tolerates partial shade, but dislikes waterlogging. It has strong salt-alkali tolerance and can still grow in soil with a salt content of0.6%. It is cold-tolerant and can overwinter safely in the open ground in North China. It grows well in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter.

Symbolic meaning of the hollyhock flower language

The flower language of hollyhock is gentleness.

If you want to give flowers to your beloved or girlfriend to praise her gentle personality and her qualities as a good wife and loving mother, then you might consider giving red hollyhock, which represents the flower language of gentleness. Red hollyhock, that is, red hollyhock, is very beautiful, with bright colors, giving a fresh feeling, and is very popular. Red hollyhock is especially suitable for planting in courtyards, along roadsides, and in site arrangements for good flower borders. It can also form luxuriant hedges and flower walls, beautifying the garden environment. It brings a gentle feeling to the owners of the hedges and flower walls.

Value of hollyhock

11. Ornamental value. Hollyhock has large leaves, abundant flowers, vivid colors, and a long blooming period, making it one of the more commonly cultivated flowers in gardens. It is suitable for planting beside buildings, beside rockeries, or as accents in flower beds and lawns, planted in rows or clumps. Dwarf varieties can be grown as potted flowers, displayed in front of doors, but should not be kept indoors for long periods. They can also be cut for use as cut flowers, for vase arrangements, flower baskets, bouquets, and so on.

22. Medicinal value. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds of hollyhock are medicinal materials; they clear heat and detoxify, and when taken internally treat constipation, neutralize pufferfish poison, promote urination, and treat dysentery. When used externally, they treat sores and ulcers, burns, and other conditions.

33. Other values. Hollyhock roots contain sugars and alcohol compounds. The flowers contain anthocyanins, red pigments, glucose, and althaein. The seeds contain fatty oil, and the oil contains unsaturated free alcohols34.88%. The stems can be used as weaving fiber material, and the anthocyanins extracted from the flowers can serve as a food colorant.