Althaea
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Althaea L.
Species
Althaea armeniaca Althaea broussonetiifolia * Althaea cannabina - Hemp-leaved Marshmallow Althaea hirsuta - Hairy Marshmallow Althaea longifolia Althaea ludwigii Althaea narbonensis * Althaea officinalis - Marshmallow * Not accepted as distinct by all authors Pink marshmallows. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the confection, see marshmallow. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Malvaceae (mallows,...) Dipterocarpaceae Sarcolaenaceae Cistaceae Muntingiaceae Bixaceae Diegodendraceae Cochlospermaceae Sphaerosepalaceae Thymelaeaceae Neuradaceae The Malvales are an order of flowering plants, mostly comprised of shrubs and trees. ... Subfamilies Bombacoideae Brownlowioideae Byttnerioideae Dombeyoideae Grewioideae Helicteroideae Malvoideae Sterculioideae Tilioideae Malvaceae is family of flowering plants containing Malva, the mallow genus, and its relatives. ... Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... For the confection, see marshmallow. ...

Althaea is a genus of 6-12 species of perennial herbs, including the marshmallow plant from whence the confection got its name, native to Europe and western Asia. They are found on the banks of rivers and in salt marshes, preferring moist, sandy soils. The stems grow to 1-2 m tall, and flower in mid summer. The leaves are palmately lobed with 3-7 lobes. Althaea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix quadrigemina. A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... For the confection, see marshmallow. ... Pink marshmallows. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... For the American hard rock band, see Soil (band). ... A Phalaenopsis flower A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... “Foliage” redirects here. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Superfamilies Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Acanthopteroctetoidea Alucitoidea Axioidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidea Choreutoidea Cossoidea Drepanoidea Epermenioidea Eriocranioidea Galacticoidea Gelechioidea Geometroidea Gracillarioidea Hedyloidea Hepialoidea Heterobathmioidea Hyblaeoidea Immoidea Incurvarioidea Lasiocampoidea Lophocoronoidea Micropterigoidea Mimallonoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Neopseustoidea Nepticuloidea Noctuoidea Palaephatoidea Pterophoroidea Pyraloidea Schreckensteinioidea Sesioidea Simaethistoidea Thyridoidea Tineoidea Tischerioidea Tortricoidea Urodoidea Whalleyanoidea Yponomeutoidea Zygaenoidea The order Lepidoptera... Bucculatricidae is a family of moths. ...

The genus formerly included a number of additional species now treated in the genus Alcea (Hollyhocks). Hollyhock Categories: Stub | Flowers ...

The root contains starch (37%), mucilage (11%), pectin (11%), flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, and asparagine. Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8) is a complex carbohydrate which is soluble in water; it is used by plants as a way to store excess glucose. ... Mucilage is a thick gluey substance, often produced by plants. ... Pectin is a heterosaccharide derived from the cell wall of plants. ... Molecular structure of flavone The term flavonoid refers to a class of plant secondary metabolites based around a phenylbenzopyrone structure. ... Sucrose (common name: table sugar, also called saccharose) is a disaccharide (glucose + fructose) with the molecular formula C12H22O11. ... Asparagine is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids on Earth. ...

Uses

In herbalism mallow is used as a gargle to treat mouth and throat ulcers. It is also useful for gastric ulcers.

The flowers and young leaves can be eaten. Added to salads or boiled and fried they are quite delicious. They are also used in cosmetics for the skin.

Marshmallow is regarded as a plant of the Moon, ruled by water. In magic it is used for protection, to enhance psychic powers, clairvoyance and divination, and in spells of love and happiness. A useful addition to the Exorcisists toolbox, it brings calm and tranquility. Sprinkle powdered marshmallow on tarot cards or runes before a reading to bring clearer insight. ^[1] This article is about the structure, card imagery, and history of tarot decks, which today are often used for spiritual, esoteric, psychological, occult and/or divinatory purposes. ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ...

References

• Medicinal Plants of the World: Chemical Constituents, Traditional and Modern Medicinal Uses By Ivan A. Ross

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Althaea officinalis

• Flora Europaea: Althaea
• Health World: Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
• King's American Dispensatory: Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow)
• "A Modern Herbal": Mallow, Marsh (Althaea officinalis)
• The Marshmallow Plants medicinal values.
• http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Althaea.htm