Alcea Alcea Alcea is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Western Hemisphere, the streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus. Hollyhocks are annual, biennial, or perennial plants usually taking an erect, unbranched form. The herbage usually has a coating of star-shaped hairs. The leaf blades are often lobed or toothed, and are borne on long petioles. The flowers may be solitary or arranged in fascicles or racemes. The notched petals are usually over
Zephyranthes rosea "Z. carinata" is often mislabeled as "Z. rosea" by merchants. "Z. carinata" can be distinguished from true "Z. rosea" by their much larger flowers with a deeper pink coloration. "Z. rosea" also has 24 chromosomes in diploid somatic cells, in contrast to 48 in "Z. carinata". Another similar species known under the same common names is "Habranthus robustus". They can be differentiated from "Z. rosea" by having paler pink and larger flowers. "Zephyranthes rosea" is native to Peru and Colombia. It is widely planted in warmer regions around the world and is reportedly naturalized in Florida, India, the West Indies,