Common Name

Australian Hollyhock, Native Hollyhock

Family

Malvaceae

Notes

Annual or perennial forb to 4m tall. Leaves alternating up the stems, bases cordate, 2-20cm long, 20-200mm wide, flat, hairy, lobed and toothed. Flowers white, with 5 petals, in clusters on stems originating at the bases of the leaves. Coastal, and inland salt lakes frequented by sea birds. Vulnerable Vic.

Differs from Malva weinmanniana in that the flowers are white, it is multi-stemmed from the base, and the leaves are crowded together on the stems and densely hairy on both surfaces.

Description (as Lavatera plebeia) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 478. Photo is of Malva weinmanniana.

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Malva~preissiana

Comparison with Malva weinmanniana in Conran, J.G., Barker, R.M. & Rippey, E., (2012) Malva weinmanniana (Besser ex Rchb.) Conran, a new name for the pink-flowered form of M. preissiana Schltdl. (Malvaceae). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens 25: pages 18-21