Alcea digitata
| Alcea digitata | |
|---|---|
| |
| Small plant flowering in Antalya | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Alcea |
| Species: | A. digitata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Alcea digitata (Boiss.) Alef.[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Synonym list
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Alcea digitata, the fingered hollyhock,[2] is a tall hollyhock with large flowers native to the Middle East.
Description
A medium to tall (up to 3 m), hairy hollyhock with large, pinkish, or pale flowers (petals to 50 mm). The leaves (particularly upper ones) are distinctively divided into spreading finger-like lobes whose edges are irregular and at times sublobed, the lobes at the base of the leaf tending to point rather backward. Whilst the leaf-end lobe is larger than the others but not hugely so. The low leaves can be well-divided into fingers or just shallowly lobed.
The stem is narrow (to 12 mm) and branched only at the base.The hairs are star-like (sparse or dense). When tall, its height mostly comprises a long flower stalk with little leafage. It is found at roadsides, fields, rocky slopes, steppe, and maquis.
The epicalyx is large (>=50% calyx). The fruit segments with wingless edges, conspicuously wrinkled, pilose hairy (the sides sparsely).[3][4]
Distribution
The plant's range includes Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.[1] In Turkey, it has been found growing at an elevation range of 20–2400 metres.
Botanical photographs
Photographs from Antalya unless indicated.
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Typical look in flower -
Typical look in flower -
Topmost flowers -
Growing plant -
Growing plant -
Leaf shape with end lobe only a little longer and base-lobes backward-pointing -
Flower side, showing stellate large epicalyx (>=50% calyx) -
Flower underside -
Floral organs in flower centre -
Petal base showing hairs -
Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx -
Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx -
Calyx with stellate hairs -
Flower stalk -
Leaf with narrower lobes -
Leaf with broader lobes (lowest leaves may be very shallow-lobed) -
Leaf underside with coarse and fine stellate hairs (upper leaves less coarsely) -
Leaf upperside -
Leaf stalk with coarser hairs -
Stem with coarser hairs -
Stem with sparse hairs -
Stem with coarse and many less coarse hairs -
Inflorescence stem with less coarse hairs -
Exceptionally tall plant, in flower -
Exceptionally tall plant (reaching just beyond top of photo)
References
- ^ a b "Alcea digitata". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ "Alcea digitata". iNaturalist.
- ^ Uzunhisarciklı, Mehmet Erkan; Vural, Mecit (1 January 2012). "The taxonomic revision of Alcea and Althaea (Malvaceae) in Turkey". Turkish Journal of Botany. 36 (6).
- ^ Uzunhisarciklı, Mehmet Erkan (2009). The Revision of Alcea L. and Althaea L. (Malvaceae) Genus in Turkey (PhD thesis). Gazi University.
- Davis, P. H. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands. Vol. 2.
- Post, George E. Flora of Syria, Palestine, and Sinai. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.).