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
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,