Job 30:4 talks about the people who collect mallows. Today, we know these plants as Malva and Alcea plant genera. The leaves from these plants were used in soups and salads. The wild hollyhock (originally called Holy Hocks by the Crusaders) is seldom available as seed today. Most gardeners will settle for our cultivated hollyhock, Alcea rosea to represent this plant family. Special note: This plant is ravaged by leaf miners every year. It is best to surround this plant with others that will conceal its foliage. Find one of the "single-flowered" cultivars rather than the newer "powder puff" cultivars since it will be closer to the original wild variety. [Usually acts as a biennial.]

Cultivation

Plant in any good garden soil. It is winter hardy to -30°F

Bible References

Job 30:4: Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

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