hollyhock
(ˈhɒlɪhɒk)
Forms: 3 holihoc, 4–7 holihocke, 5 holyhokke, holy hokke, 6 holioke, hollihoke, holyoke, -ocke, hollyhocke, hollyoke, 6–7 hollihocke, hollioke, holyhocke, 7 holliock, -oak, holyhock, hollyoak, 7–8 holyhock, 8 holyoak, holy-oak, ? 9 holly-oak, 7– holly-hock, 8– hollyhock.
[f. holy a. + hock n.1 mallow: evidently of hagiological origin; cf. the Welsh name hocys bendigaid, which appears to translate a med.L. *malva benedicta. Another name was caulis Sancti Cuthberti, ‘Seynt Cutberts-cole’: see Alphita 61 s.v. Euiscus, 110 s.v. Malua.
The guess that ‘the hollyhock was doubtless so called from being brought from the Holy Land’ has been offered in ignorance of the history of the word.]
† 1. orig. The Marsh Mallow, Althæa officinalis (in med.L. ibiscum malva, bis malva, OF. vie mauve, F. guimauve, Sp. malvavisco). Obs.
| c 1265 Voc. Names Plants in Wr.-Wülcker 556/24 Althea, i. ymalue, i. holihoc. a 1387 Sinon. Barthol. (Anecd. Oxon.) 10 Altea, i. holihocke. Ibid. 43 Wimave, i. holi hocke. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 56 Take malowe leues..& þe rote of holihocke [B. holy hokke]. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 243/2 Holy hokke, or wylde malowe.., altea, malviscus. c 1465 Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.) 4 Alta malua..gall. wymalue, anglice holyhokke. 1538 Turner Libellus A ij a, Altheam, aliqui ebiscum, siue ibiscum nominant, officinæ maluam, bis maluam, nostrates Holy oke. 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. clxxiii. 489 An oyntment made of holy-hoxe, or sea-mallowes. 1614 ― Cheap Husb. ii. xxv. 149 Annoint her feet with the juyce of the Hearb Holyhocke. |
2. a. Now, The plant
Althæa rosea, of the same genus as the
prec., a native of China and southern Europe, having a very tall and stout stem bearing numerous large flowers on very short stalks; many varieties, with flowers of different tints of red, purple, yellow, and white, are cultivated in gardens.
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes s.v. Malua, Malua hortensis is of two kindes. The one is called alone in greeke Malache in englishe Holyoke, and of thys sort is the iagged mallowe. [He distinguishes it from ‘Althea and Hibiscus..in englishe marrishe Mallowe’.] 1551 ― Herbal i. B viij a, By thys description it is playne that our comon holyoke is not Althea. 1573 Tusser Husb. xliii. (1878) 96 Holiokes, red, white and carnations. 1625 B. Jonson Pan's Anniv. 29 Bright crowne-imperiall, king's-speare holy-hocks. 1626 Bacon Sylva §510 This Experiment of seuerall Colours, comming vp from one Seed, would bee tried also in..Poppy and Hollyoke [1677 Hollyoak]. 1641 True Char. Untrue Bishop 10 Who weareth..a fine holliock for the knot of his girdle. 1700 tr. Cowley's 6 Bks. Plants iv. 89 The Holihock disdains the common size Of Herbs, and like a Tree do's proudly rise. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece ii. iii. 357 Sow Pinks..Holyoaks, annual Stocks. 1766 Anstey Bath Guide xi. 106 Like a Holy-Hock, noble, majestic, and tall. 1830 Tennyson Song, ‘A spirit haunts’, Heavily hangs the hollyhock, Heavily hangs the tiger-lily. |
| fig. 1897 V. Hunt Unkist, Unkind! ii. (ed. 2) 24 It takes a great bouncing hollyhock of a woman to look well here, not a white lily, as they call me in town. |
b. attrib. and
Comb., as
hollyhock blossom,
hollyhock root;
hollyhock disease,
= hollyhock rust; also, blight caused by the parasitic fungus
Colletotrichum malvarum;
hollyhock fungus, a fungus,
Puccinia malvacearum, parasitic on the hollyhock;
hollyhock-rose, an American species of club-moss,
Selaginella lepidophylla, also called
resurrection-plant;
hollyhock rust, hollyhock fungus or the disease caused by this;
hollyhock-tree, a malvaceous tree,
Hibiscus splendens, found in Australia.
| [1865 Gardeners' Chron. 2 Sept. 817/2 We have received..some information with respect to a Disease with which Hollyhocks are affected to such a degree as almost to preclude their cultivation.] 1898 W. Robinson Eng. Flower Garden (ed. 6) 389/1 Owing to the *Hollyhock disease it is often a better plan to abandon the named kinds increased from cuttings and resort to seedlings only for stock. 1951 Dict. Gardening (R. Hort. Soc.) II. 1006/1 Hollyhock disease is not seen in the neighbourhood of industrial towns. |
| 1883 W. Robinson Eng. Flower Garden 13/2 The *Hollyhock Fungus (Puccinia malvacearum)..is..destructive to the Hollyhock. |
| 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 145 The decoction of *hollihocke roots. |
| 1899 G. Massee Text-bk. Plant Dis. 252 *Hollyhock rust. 1910 T. W. Sanders Garden Foes 227 Hollyhock Rust (Puccinia malvacearum). At one time this fungoid disease played great havoc with the hollyhock. 1951 Dict. Gardening (R. Hort. Soc.) II. 1005/2 The onset of Hollyhock rust..led to its almost complete disappearance as a florists' flower. |