Althaea cannabina Althaea cannabina Althaea cannabina, commonly called palm-leaf marshmallow or hemp-leaved hollyhock, is a perennial herb belonging to the genus "Althaea" of the Malvaceae family. The leaves resemble those of hemp ("Cannabis sativa"), hence the specific epithet "cannabina" ("hemp-like"). "Althaea cannabina" reaches on average of height. The stem is erect, cylindrical, pubescent and very branched. Lower leaves are petiolate, hairy and almost completely subdivided in three-five segments, linear or linear-lanceolate, toothed or lobed, up to wide and long. The upper leaves are simply lobed and toothed. The flowers are solitary or in clusters and grow in the axils of the leaves,
Officinalis from "facere" "do, perform". When Linnaeus invented the binomial system of nomenclature, he gave the specific name "officinalis", in the 1735 (1st Edition) of his Systema Naturae, to plants (and sometimes animals) with an established medicinal, culinary, or other use. Officinalis Officinalis, or officinale, is a Medieval Latin epithet denoting substances or organisms – mainly plants – with uses in medicine and herbalism. It commonly occurs as a specific epithet - the second term of a two-part botanical name. Officinalis is used to modify masculine and feminine nouns, while officinale is used for neuter nouns. The word "officinalis" literally means