Althaea officinalis is a native of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa. It has been collected from the wild and grown in gardens as food and medicine for thousand of years. A perennial of dry sunny places.

As a medicinal plant it reduces the irritation of mucous membranes.

As a food plant it has been used as a survival food when cultivated crops failed, a gourmet food in Ancient Rome, confection (marshmallow) has been made from it since the days of Ancient Egypt and in modern vegan-cooking the water from boiling any part of the plant can be used as an egg-white substitute. Flower buds can be pickled, leaves make a decent spinach, roots are edible.

Also a good ornamental plant for gardens with poor and/or soil and sunny locations.

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