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Glite Dictionary
Alcea rosea

Alcea rosea

9.9
A tall garden plant with showy white, pink or purple flowers called hollyhock
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Alcea rosea
  • The village flower show awarded first prize to an impressive specimen of Alcea rosea.

Examples

  • I love Alcea rosea.

  • Look at that Alcea rosea!

  • Alcea rosea adds a beautiful vertical accent to traditional cottage gardens.

  • Many gardeners grow Alcea rosea for its tall spikes of colorful blossoms.

  • The garden was filled with blooming Alcea rosea in shades of pink and white.

  • In the summer, Alcea rosea attracts many pollinators with its vibrant flowers.

  • The tall Alcea rosea stood out against the green foliage in the backyard.

Synonyms

hollyhock
vsAlcea rosea
3 6.7

A tall garden plant with large, colorful flowers

is the specific species name rather than the general common name
Althea rosea
vsAlcea rosea
  • Specialized
9.3

A tall garden plant with large bright white, pink, or purple flowers

is the formal species name rather than an alternative garden label

Surface Forms

Alcea rosea singular
Alcea rosae singular

Morphology

Alcea + rosea

The binomial name is compositionally built from a genus name (Alcea) and a Latin epithet (rosea) that literally signals a rosé/rose-coloured quality; if a learner knows both constituents they can infer this refers to an Alcea plant with pink/rose-coloured flowers. However, the specific epithet is Latin and not a common English word, so many B1 learners would not recognize 'rosea' without prior exposure even though the meaning is partially recoverable via cross-linguistic cognates.

Etymology

Alcea rosea comes from two parts: Alcea, an old name for the hollyhock, and rosea, which means 'rose-coloured'. So the name gives the image of a tall hollyhock with rose-coloured flowers, which is why it refers to the tall garden plant we call the hollyhock today.