What plant is the hollyhock? Get to know the herbaceous plant hollyhock

Other names for the hollyhock

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

Morphological characteristics of the hollyhock

The hollyhock is a biennial herbaceous plant; the plant can reach 2 m to 3 m in height, with erect, sturdy stems that grow in clumps and do not branch, the whole plant covered with stellate hairs and bristles. The leaves are nearly round-cordate or oblong, 6 cm to 18 cm long and 5 cm to 20 cm wide; the basal leaves are larger, the leaf surface is rough, both surfaces are covered with stellate hairs, and the petioles are 5 cm to 15 cm long.

The flowers are solitary or nearly clustered in the leaf axils, sometimes arranged in racemes. There are 6 to 9 bracteoles, broadly lanceolate, united at the base and attached to the outside of the calyx tube. There are 5 sepals, ovate-lanceolate. The corolla is 6 to 13 cm in diameter and comes in purple, purplish red, pink, pale red, purple-black, yellow, white and other colors, as well as bicolor varieties with differently colored edges. There are 5 or more petals, obovate, with wavy and wrinkled or toothed edges, single, semi-double to double. There are many stamens, the anthers united into a tube and surrounding the style, and the style is linear, protruding above the stamens. The capsule is flat-round, the seeds are kidney-shaped with an upright, cockscomb-like ridge along the back edge and oblique lines on the sides, and the 1000-seed weight is about 9.2 g.

Growing habits of the hollyhock

The hollyhock likes full sunlight and tolerates partial shade, but dislikes waterlogging. It has strong tolerance to saline-alkali conditions and can still grow in soil containing 0.6% salt. It is cold-tolerant and can overwinter safely outdoors 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 the hollyhock is gentleness.

If you want to send 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 sending red hollyhocks, which represent the flower language of gentleness. Red hollyhocks, that is, red hollyhocks, are very beautiful, with vivid colors that give a fresh feeling, and are very popular; red hollyhocks are especially suitable for planting in courtyards, along roadsides, and in sites arranged as flower borders. They can also form lush green hedges and flower walls, beautifying the garden environment. They bring a gentle feeling to the owners of the hedges and flower walls.

The value of the hollyhock

1. Ornamental value. The hollyhock has large leaves, abundant blooms and vivid colors, and a long flowering period, making it a relatively common flower cultivated in gardens. It is suitable for planting beside buildings, beside rockeries, or for dotting flowerbeds and lawns, planted in rows or clumps. Dwarf varieties can be grown as pot flowers and displayed at the door, but should not be kept indoors for long. The blooms can also be cut for use as cut flowers, for vase arrangements or for flower baskets, bouquets and so on.

2. Medicinal value. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds of the hollyhock are medicinal materials; they clear heat and remove toxins, and taken internally they treat constipation, neutralize pufferfish toxin, promote urination and treat dysentery. Used externally they treat sores, ulcers, scalds and other conditions.

3. Other value. The roots of the hollyhock contain sugars and alcohol compounds. The flowers contain anthocyanins, red pigments, glucose and hollyhock glycoside. The seeds contain fatty oil, in which unsaturated free alcohol makes up 34.88%. The stems can be used as weaving fiber material, and the anthocyanins extracted from the flowers can serve as a food colorant.

A gallery of hollyhock images