Althaea officinalis L.
Marshmallow
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is a herbaceous perennial plant that grows up to 180 cm (6 ft) tall with few lateral branches. It is covered in soft, stellate hairs, particularly on the leaves, which are broadly triangular to oval with 3-5 shallow lobes and irregular teeth. The leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, without stipules, on petioles up to 45 mm (1.75 in). The flowers are actinomorphic with 5 lilac/pink petals up to 2 cm long and 5 green sepals fused at the base. The inflorescences are panicles of 1-many flowers occurring in leaf axils and at the top of the stem. The plant produces a schizocarp fruit about 1 cm in diameter, which splits into about 20 kidney-shaped mericarps.
Details
Malvales
Malvaceae
Althaea
The chemical constituents of marshmallow include altheahexacosanyl lactone, 2β-hydroxycalamene (altheacalamene), and altheacoumarin glucoside, along with lauric acid, β-sitosterol, and lanosterol.
Marshmallow is used in gardening as an ornamental plant. In traditional herbal medicine, the leaves, flowers, and roots are used to relieve irritation of mucous membranes, including as a gargle for mouth and throat ulcers and gastric ulcers. The roots can be peeled, sliced, boiled, and sweetened to make candy. Water used to boil any part of the plant can be used as an egg white substitute.
August and September
180 cm (6 ft)
Lilac/pink
Marshmallow is indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa.
Info
Pannon Flora Ltd. was founded on December 13, 1999, by Gábor Janik, who retains 95% ownership. Janik holds an MSc in Horticulture from the University of Horticultural Sciences (1986) and an Advanced Professional English Certification from the College of International Trade (1990). The company specializes in bird feed production and export, primarily serving markets in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, alongside cultivating and distributing imported/exported horticultural seeds. It maintains exclusive partnerships with JOEUN Seed (South Korea) and Takii Europe (Japan), a leader in professional seed breeding and production. Pannon Flora collaborates with certification bodies such as NÉBIH (National Food Chain Safety Office), MERT Kontroll, and SGS Hungary to ensure compliance and quality. The company works with approximately 400 Hungarian growers, ranging from small-scale producers (under 5 hectares) to mid-sized farms and large-scale agricultural enterprises. This profile emphasizes agribusiness expertise, technical partnerships, and operational scalability tailored to international client needs.
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