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Althaea officinalis

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Medicinal Plants of the World

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Abstract

This perennial herb of the MALVACEAE family is a 60–120 cm high hardy, velvety plant that has an erect root up to 50 cm long and a few cm thick with secondary roots. The succulent stem is usually woody at the base and unbranched. The leaves are short-petioled with an ovate, acute leafblade. The secondary leaves are narrow and droo**. The lower leaves are 5-lobed, the upper cauline leaves are often triangular, more wide than long. The reddish-white flowers are usually in axillary or terminal clusters; the 6–9 sepals of the epicalyx are fused at the base, and are 8–10 mm long and pointed; 5 sepals, 5 heart-shaped petals and numerous stamens are fused together with the anthers to a column. The ovaries in a ring, numerous styles; mericarps smooth and downy.

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Authors
  1. Ivan A. Ross
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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Ross, I.A. (2001). Althaea officinalis. In: Medicinal Plants of the World. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-237-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-237-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9706-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-237-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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