Althaea hirsuta

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 687. 1753.

Common names: Rough marshmallow
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 233. Mentioned on page 231.

Herbs annual, 0.1–0.6 m. Stems erect to decumbent, simple or branched at base, coarsely hairy, hairs simple, rigid, stellate, pustulate-based. Leaves: stipules persistent, lanceolate, simple, 5–8 mm, hirsute; petiole as long as blade in proximal leaves, much reduced in distal leaves; blade reniform, those of proximal leaves shallowly 3–5-lobed, those of distal leaves deeply, palmately 3–5-lobed or divided, 1–4 × 1.5–3.5 (–4) cm, lobes broad, blunt to acute, margins crenate, to pinnatifid, surfaces hispid-hairy. Inflorescences solitary flowers, long-pedicellate, infrequently racemose-congested distally. Pedicels/peduncles 0.5–8 mm, 8 cm proximally, reduced distally; involucellar bractlets 7 or 8, spreading-erect, lanceolate, 4–13 × 1–4 mm, 1/2+ as long as calyx, slightly accrescent, rigid in fruit, hispid. Flowers: calyx 15 mm, lobes erect, lanceolate-acuminate, 5–15 × 1–3 mm, 2 times as long as tube, pustular-hispid; petals pinkish lilac, fading bluish, 12–20 mm, 1 1-1/2 times as long as calyx, apex entire or slightly notched; staminal column 0.5–1 mm, glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular; anthers in upper 1/2, pale-pink to almost white (yellow); stigmas 10–15. Fruits concealed by erect, accrescent calyx, 8–10 mm diam.; mericarps 10–15, brown, unwinged, reniform, with strong, radiating ridges on lateral face, 3 mm, margins rounded, surface glabrous, obscurely ridged abaxially. Seeds brown, reniform-round, 1–1.3 × 0.7–1.4 (–2.5) mm, minutely rugulose, glabrous. 2n = 42.


Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: 0–100 m

Distribution

V6 415-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Ont., N.Y., Pa., Europe, w, sw Asia

Discussion

There are very few recent North American collections of Althaea hirsuta. There is an old specimen of this plant from British Columbia dated 1924, but the species has not been collected in the province since then. Current molecular data suggest that it may belong within Malva.

The name Althaea hispida Moench, which pertains here, is superfluous and illegitimate.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Althaea hirsuta"
unwinged +  and schizocarpic +
indehiscent +
glabrous +  and stellate-pilose-hairy +
reniform +  and orbicular rounded +
white +  and pale-pink to almost +
notched;entire +
Steven R. Hill +
Linnaeus +
cordate +, obtuse +, truncate +  and cuneate +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
divided +, 3-5-lobed +  and reniform +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
spreading-erect +
lanceolate +
accrescent +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
5-lobed +, campanulate +  and not inflated +
accrescent +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (?) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
Rough marshmallow +
pink +  and lilac-purple or bluish +
rotate +  and wide-campanulate +
Ont. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, Europe +, w +  and sw Asia +
0–100 m +
sparse;copious +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Disturbed areas +
pustulate-based +  and simple +
not viscid +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
connate +
pustular-hispid +
lanceolate-acuminate +, blunt +  and acute +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
serrate +  and dentate +
rounded;crenate;pinnatifid +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +
3-40-carpellate +
(1-)2-many +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
fading bluish;pinkish lilac +
adnate +  and distinct +
1-1-1/2 times as long as calyx +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Flowering spring–summer. +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
rugulose +
reniform-round +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
persistent +
Introduced +
sessile +  and subsessile +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
branched +  and simple +
erect;decumbent +
10 +  and 15 +
filiform +, linear +  and capitate +
1-2 times number of carpels +
lanceolate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
unbranched +  and branched +
glabrous +  and hispid-hairy +
Mallow +
Althaea hirsuta +
species +
monoecious +, dioecious +  and hermaphroditic +