1. any of various plants of the genus Althaea; similar to but having smaller flowers than genus Alcea (Freq. 1) • Syn: althea, althaea • Hypernyms: mallow • Hyponyms: marsh mallow, white mallow, Althea officinalis • Member Holonyms: genus Althaea 2. any of various tall plants of the genus Alcea; native to the Middle East but widely naturalized and cultivated for its very large variously colored flowers (Freq. 1) • Hypernyms: mallow • Hyponyms: rose mallow, Alcea rosea, Althea rosea • Member Holonyms: Alcea, genus Alcea