Kingdom Plantae Family Malvaceae Scientific name Lavatera thuringiaca Rank Species | Order Malvales Genus Lavatera Higher classification Tree mallows | |
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Similar Tree mallows, Mallows, Lavatera olbia, Lavatera trimestris, Malva moschata | ||
Lavatera thuringiaca, the garden tree-mallow, is a species of Lavatera native to eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from southern Germany south to Italy, and east to southern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
Contents
It is a herbaceous perennial plant 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.
There are two subspecies:
Lavatera thuringiaca barnsley
Garden plants
Most of the popular shrubby garden cultivars traditionally listed under this species are actually hybrids between it and Lavatera olbia; these hybrids are now named Lavatera × clementii. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
