Alcea rosea, the common hollyhock, is an ornamental dicot flowering plant in the family Malvaceae.

[2] William Turner, a herbalist of the time, gave it the name "holyoke" from which the English name derives.

Alcea rosea is variously described as a biennial (having a two-year life cycle), as an annual, or as a short-lived perennial.

However, tender plants, whether young from seed or from old stock, may be wiped out by slugs and snails.

[7] Growing up to 8 feet tall, this plant usually does not require staking, producing large flowers around 5 inches in diameter.