• Althaea cannabina pink bloom
  • Althaea cannabina full form in bloom
  • Althaea cannabina foliage
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Althaea cannabina | palm-leaf marshmallow

ARCHIVED PLANT. This page serves as reference only. We are no longer propagating this plant.

*We had trouble with excessive rust on this species in 2024 and again in 2025. We will not be selling this plant until we can grow it successfully.

Palm-leaf marshmallow or hemp-leaved hollyhock is a tough, tall, yet airy beauty. Small rosy pink flowers hover above stiff stems all summer long. Though tall, this plant rarely needs staking.

PLEASE NOTE: This plant is NOT cannabis (Cannabis sativa), nor is it related to it. The specific epithet cannabina means "hemp-like" and refers only to the shape of the leaves.

Fun Fact: The sturdy stems produce a long, strong fiber that is used to make paper and textiles.

Zones: 3 to 10
Family: Malvaceae
Type: Perennial
Height: 48 to 72 in.
Spread: 18 to 24 in.
Exposure: full sun
Soil Conditions: average, moist, fertile
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Color: lavender-rose with a darker eye

Special Characteristics
  • See-through plant
  • Architectural
image credits

Image 1 (bloom) Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 2 (form) peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 3 (foliage) Hardyplants, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Althaea cannabina pink bloom
Althaea cannabina full form in bloom
Althaea cannabina foliage

See all in this genus

Althaea cannabina seedling at The Old Dairy NurseryAlthaea cannabina seedling at The Old Dairy Nursery
garden location coming soongarden location coming soon
 

view this plant in our gardens:

Mother Bed I | 2024

seedling image

Althaea cannabina | palm-leaf marshmallow

We are slowly creating a seedling image library to help make weeding easier.
garden location coming soongarden location coming soon
 
Althaea cannabina seedling at The Old Dairy NurseryAlthaea cannabina seedling at The Old Dairy Nursery