In message , Rupert
writes

"La Puce" wrote in message
roups.com...

Rupert wrote:

Alcea ficifolia/Alcea rosea
Majority opinion says they should be treated as members of a single
species
. Ordinary clay soil is not a problem .

Gardenbanter said that the 'minority says they should be treated ....'.

Yes and I guess you now know they are wrong.

Have you grown Hollyhocks before Rupert?

Yes many years ago. Gave up because they really were biennials and I never
got another year out of them. Much nicer effect with Abutilon which is non
deciduous and can be grown to several metres high. Supposedly not frost
hardy but it grows well here in my part of West Yorkshire. I think it's
Tennants (sp) white. Fabulous plant flowers early so in that sense it's not
the best substitute for Hollyhocks.


The usual Abutilons are A. megapotamicum and A. x hybridum. These are
rather frost-sensitive - last year the ones in my allotment didn't
actually die, but they weren't interested in growing the next year,
while the ones kept in pots near the house came through OK.

Tennant's White is a Corynabutilon vitifolium. (This is another case
where gardeners haven't caught up with the botanists.) Corynabutilons
are from southern South America (including Chile) and are rather hardier
than A. megapotamicum and related species. (A. megapotamicum is from
southern Brazil; I think it's named after the Rio Grande do Sul.)

(After chopping off bits of the genus there's reputedly 160 species left
in Abutilon, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it's polyphyletic;
the other big genus - Sida - has been found to be so, but Abutilon has
been less studied.)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Abutilon/gallery.html
http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Cor...n/gallery.html