Palm-Leaf Marshmallow (Althaea cannabina)
Description
Althaea cannabina, commonly called palm-leaf marshmallow or hemp-leaved hollyhock, is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Althaea of the Malvaceae family. The leaves resemble those of hemp (Cannabis sativa), hence the specific epithet cannabina ("hemp-like"). Althaea cannabina reaches on average 40–200 centimetres (16–79 in) of height. The stem is erect, cylindrical, pubescent and very branched. Lower leaves are petiolate, hairy and almost completely subdivided in three-five segments, linear or linear-lanceolate, toothed or lobed, up to 2 centimetres (0.79 in) wide and 8 centimetres (3.1 in) long. The upper leaves are simply lobed and toothed. The flowers are solitary or in clusters and grow in the axils of the leaves, on long pedicels up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) or on long peduncles up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in). They are usually pink or reddish-purple and heart-shaped, 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) wide and 13–15 millimetres (0.51–0.59 in) long, with purple-red stamens. The flowering period extends from July through September.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malvales
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Family: Malvaceae
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Genus: Althaea
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