For Ruby Tuesday today I have two hollyhocks. The one at bottom is what I expect when I hear the word "hollyhock." The RED one below is one I've never seen before.
The hollyhocks make up about 60 species offlowering plants in the genus Alcea (Ál-ce-a) in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to southwest and central Asia. They are biennial or short-lived perennial plants growing to 3.5 m tall, with broad, rounded, palmately lobed leaves and numerous flowers, pink or yellow in the wild species, on the erect central stem.
The Red Hollyhock was the last one of the season at Queens Botanical Garden.
