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 (plant) treated in the genus "Alcea" (hollyhocks). Accepted species according to Plants of the World online are:<br> "Althaea angulata" Freyn<br> "Althaea armeniaca" Ten.<br> "Althaea bertramii" Post & Beauverd<br> "Althaea cannabina" L.<br> "Althaea chrysantha" Sam.<br> "Althaea damascena" Mouterde<br> "Althaea hiri" Parsa<br> "Althaea octaviae" Evenari<br> "Althaea officinalis" L.<br> "Althaea oppenheimii" Ulbr.<br> "Althaea villosa" Blatt.<br> The root contains starch (37%), mucilage (11%), pectin (11%), flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, and asparagine. The traditional medicinal uses of the plant are reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek "althainein", meaning "to heal". The flowers and young leaves can be eaten, and are