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,
Althaea (mythology) and Deianeira the progeny of Althaea and the god Dionysus. In some accounts, Ancaeus was called her son by the god Poseidon. Althaea is especially celebrated in ancient story about the fate of her son Meleager; they became the cause of each other's deaths. When Meleager was born, the Moirai (the Fates) predicted he would only live until a brand, burning in the family hearth, was consumed by fire. In Aeschylus' "Libation Bearers" Althaea is mentioned by the Chorus of captive slaves, serving women of Clytemnestra, in a recollection of 'hatreds that stopped at nothing'. Meleager grew to be a