Alcea digitata

A medium to tall (up to 3 m), hairy hollyhock with large, pinkish, or pale flowers (petals to 50 mm). The leaves (particularly upper ones) are distinctively divided into spreading finger-like lobes whose edges are irregular and at times sublobed, the lobes at the base of the leaf tending to point rather backward. Whilst the leaf-end lobe is larger than the others but not hugely so. The low leaves can be well-divided into fingers or just shallowly lobed.

The stem is narrow (to 12 mm) and branched only at the base.The hairs are star-like (sparse or dense). When tall, its height mostly comprises a long flower stalk with little leafage. It is found at roadsides, fields, rocky slopes, steppe, and maquis.

The epicalyx is large (>=50% calyx). The fruit segments with wingless edges, conspicuously wrinkled, pilose hairy (the sides sparsely).[3][4]

The plant's range includes Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.[1] In Turkey, it has been found growing at an elevation range of 20–2400 metres.

Photographs from Antalya unless indicated.

• Typical look in flower
• Typical look in flower
• Topmost flowers
• Growing plant
• Growing plant
• Leaf shape with end lobe only a little longer and base-lobes backward-pointing
• Flower side, showing stellate large epicalyx (>=50% calyx)
• Flower underside
• Floral organs in flower centre
• Petal base showing hairs
• Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx
• Buds, with smaller stellate hairs and large epicalyx
• Calyx with stellate hairs
• Flower stalk
• Leaf with narrower lobes
• Leaf with broader lobes (lowest leaves may be very shallow-lobed)
• Leaf underside with coarse and fine stellate hairs (upper leaves less coarsely)
• Leaf upperside
• Leaf stalk with coarser hairs
• Stem with coarser hairs
• Stem with sparse hairs
• Stem with coarse and many less coarse hairs
• Inflorescence stem with less coarse hairs
• Exceptionally tall plant, in flower
• Exceptionally tall plant (reaching just beyond top of photo)