''Malva thuringiaca'' (syn. ''Lavatera thuringiaca''), the garden tree-mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Malvaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from southern Germany south to Italy, and east to southern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.Malvaceae Pages
Herbaceous Lavateras
/ref>Flora Europaea
''Lavatera thuringiaca''
/ref> It is a herbaceous

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

growing to 1.8 m tall. The leaves are up to 9 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with three or five lobes, and downy with greyish hairs. The flowers are pink, 3–6 cm diameter, with five petals; they are produced throughout the summer.Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .Könemann (2004). ''Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them''. There are two subspecies: *''Malva thuringiaca'' subsp. ''thuringiaca'' – Most of the species' range, except as below, Upper leaves bluntly lobed *''Malva thuringiaca'' subsp. ''ambigua'' (DC.) Valdés – southern France, Italy, western Balkans, Upper leaves acutely lobed

Garden plants

Most of the popular shrubby garden

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s traditionally listed under this species are actually hybrids between it and '' Malva olbia''; these hybrids are now named ''Malva'' × ''clementii''. The following cultivars have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit:- *'Bredon Springs' *'Burgundy Wine' *'Candy Floss' *'Rosea'

References

Image:Lavatera-thuringensis-flower.JPG Image:Pale pink flower bgiu.jpg {{Taxonbar, from=Q3504701 thuringiaca Garden plants Plants described in 1851