Alcea "Alcea" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including "Bucculatrix quadrigemina" and "Vanessa cardui", the painted lady. The mallow flea beetle ("Podagrica fuscicornis") is a pest that makes tiny holes in the leaves. Cutworms, aphids, and capsid bugs use the plant as a food source in hotter and drier conditions. A number of weevils use "A. rosea" as their host plant, including "Rhopalapion longirostre", "Alocentron curvirostre", and "Aspidapion validum". The plants are also susceptible to the pathogenic fungus "Puccinia malvacearum", the hollyhock rust. A hollyhock flower, known in Japan as , was incorporated into
Cylindropuntia rosea where they work and live. Spraying has reduced the occurrence of this plant in the Lightning Ridge area, but constant follow-up spraying will be needed for further control. The New South Walrd Government has spent $200,000 on management of this weed. Cylindropuntia rosea Cylindropuntia rosea, the Hudson pear, is a cactus Australian botanists attribute to being native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Northwestern Mexico. The plant is an invasive species in Australia. "Cylindropuntia rosea", the Hudson pear, has pink flowers and white spines. It has long, white, strong spines and can grow up to 1.5 metres high and