Althaea (plant) rose water. "Pâte de guimauve" more closely resembles contemporary commercially available marshmallows, which no longer contain any actual marshmallow. The root's emulsifying property is used for cleaning Persian carpets in the Middle East. It is regarded as the best method to preserve the vibrancy of vegetable dyes used in coloring the carpet's wool. Althaea (plant) Althaea is a genus of 6–12 species of perennial herbs native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It includes "Althaea officinalis", also known as the marshmallow plant, whence the fluffy confection got its name. They are found on the banks of rivers and in
Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula angustifolia (lavender most commonly true lavender or English lavender, though not native to England; also garden lavender, common lavender, narrow-leaved lavender), formerly "L. officinalis", is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean (Spain, France, Italy, Croatia etc.). It is a strongly aromatic shrub growing as high as tall. The leaves are evergreen, long, and broad. The flowers are pinkish-purple (lavender-coloured), produced on spikes long at the top of slender, leafless stems long. The species name "angustifolia" is Latin for "narrow leaf". Previously, it was known as "Lavandula officinalis", referring to its medicinal properties.