Black Hollyhock is a black-purple flowered variety of the Alcea rosea species, and has been cultivated for centuries in many parts of the world. Its place of origin is the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor; it is not native to Hungary, but very often cultivated plants become wild. Black Hollyhock is a perennial plant reaching a height of up to 2.5 metres; its leaves are round and lobed; its five-petaled flowers stand in racemes, blossoming from June through September. When ripe, its flat disc-shaped mallow fruit falls apart into mericarps. This plant needs soil rich in nutrients and develops satisfactorily in sunny habitats and in soils with good water management. Unlike the basic species, two Hungarian varieties, ’Otelló’ (Othello) and ’Holló’ (Raven) bloom in their first year. Harvesting the flowers is a very time consuming process: it is done every 2-4 days by hand and the flowers are dried immediately after being picked. The petals of Black Hollyhock were not only used as a base for herb teas, but liqueurs and bitters were also coloured with them and more recently their infusions have become natural necessities for painting Easter eggs.

Similarly to Marshmellow, the main ingredients in Black Hollyhock are mucilage, thus it is used as a medicinal herb in the case of catarrhal disorders of the respiratory and digestive systems to relieve catarrh and inflammations. Water solutions made from Black Hollyhock may be used externally to treat abscesses and inflammations.

The cosmetics industry uses Black Hollyhock as a skin conditioning and hydrating substance. Water solutions made from the flowers of this plant and the plant’s dried and powdered flowers have hydrating, anti-inflammatory, tightening, and vitalizing effects in cosmetic preparations. Black Hollyhock may be used effectively on any skin type.

Flowers (Malvae arboreae flos cum calycibus) and petals (Malvae arborae flos sine calycibus):
- Mucilage
- Anthocyanidin pigments (malvidin)
- Tannins