Althaea officinalis
speciesAt a glance
Sources16 archives
Databases and archives Althaea officinalis's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation18 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility54 408 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI15 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics28 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) Althaea officinalis, the marsh mallow or marshmallow, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian times evolved into today's marshmallow treat, but most modern marshmallow treats no longer contain any marsh-mallow root.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology15
Life cycle & reproduction14
Diet & foraging2
Habitat & environment10
Physiology & chemistry3
Other traits2
Compounds documented for Althaea officinalis across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds194 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WATER | 892,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| CARBOHYDRATES | 807,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FIBER(DIETARY) | 523,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| STARCH | 380,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| MUCILAGE | 350,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| POLYSACCHARIDES | 350,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| PROTEIN | 237,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FAT | 172,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Althaea officinalis has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Althaea officinalis carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 4230×GoaT · DTOL Flowering Plants Estimates Kew · CCDB · ita-fl · CCDB · slov-fl +11
2n 403×CCDB · ita-fl · CCDB · ipcn-api-dl · CCDB · CromoCat 2015
polyploid inferred1×PloiDB · family-scale
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
Record type54 408 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions83 of 165 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Moscow State Universitylocation not on record | 154 |
| BIO-UNIPIlocation not on record | 144 |
| LDlocation not on record | 81 |
| MAlocation not on record | 76 |
| BClocation not on record | 67 |
| BDBClocation not on record | 63 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 58 |
| Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitat Greifswaldlocation not on record | 52 |
| Vitoria, ES | 46 |
| València, ES | 44 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 38 |
| Oskarshamn, SE | 29 |
| Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record | 25 |
| BRNUlocation not on record | 25 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 24 |
| Beijing, CN | 23 |
| GBS RAN - Glavny Botanichesky Sad Rossijskoj Akademii Nauklocation not on record | 22 |
| Barcelona, ES | 21 |
| Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record | 21 |
| Voronezh State Universitylocation not on record | 20 |
| Görlitz, DE | 20 |
| Urumqi, CN | 18 |
| WNNUlocation not on record | 16 |
| Salamanca, ES | 16 |
| BFLlocation not on record | 16 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 15 |
| South Kensington, GB | 14 |
| Berlin, DE | 13 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 13 |
| Salzburg, AT | 12 |
| Madrid, ES | 11 |
| Uniwersytet Jagiellońskilocation not on record | 10 |
| Bern, CH | 10 |
| Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV/EHU)location not on record | 10 |
| ISAlocation not on record | 10 |
| Uniwersytet Wrocławskilocation not on record | 9 |
| Granada, ES | 9 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 9 |
| College of the Atlantic, Museumlocation not on record | 9 |
| New Haven, US | 9 |
| Jaén, ES | 8 |
| UGentlocation not on record | 8 |
| Allentown, US | 8 |
| Olocation not on record | 8 |
| Philadelphia, US | 8 |
| Wlocation not on record | 7 |
| Yangling, CN | 7 |
| Paris, FR | 7 |
| Pamplona, ES | 7 |
| GJOlocation not on record | 7 |
| Zürich, CH | 7 |
| Saint Louis, US | 7 |
| Mlocation not on record | 6 |
| GZUlocation not on record | 6 |
| Karlsruhe, DE | 6 |
| National Museum Waleslocation not on record | 5 |
| Auckland, NZ | 5 |
| Wuzhou, CN | 5 |
| Córdoba, ES | 5 |
| Madison, US | 5 |
| inatura Erlebnis Naturschau GmbHlocation not on record | 5 |
| Pamplona, ES | 5 |
| DBF-NHMDlocation not on record | 5 |
| PRClocation not on record | 5 |
| Bourges, FR | 5 |
| Zürich, CH | 5 |
| Uppsala, SE | 5 |
| CJBGlocation not on record | 4 |
| Chadron, US | 4 |
| Québec, CA | 4 |
| Kunming, CN | 4 |
| Dresden, DE | 4 |
| Durango, MX | 4 |
| Burlington, US | 4 |
| Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record | 4 |
| Xian, CN | 4 |
| Tilburg, NL | 4 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 4 |
| Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record | 4 |
| San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record | 3 |
| Nijmegen, NL | 3 |
| Guilin, CN | 3 |
| Urumqi, CN | 3 |
| Lausanne, CH | 3 |
| Bloomington, US | 3 |
| Alicante, ES | 3 |
| UIBlocation not on record | 3 |
| Bangkok, TH | 2 |
| Guiyang, CN | 2 |
| Christchurch, NZ | 2 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 2 |
| Tampa, US | 2 |
| St. Paul, US | 2 |
| HUN003location not on record | 2 |
| BSBIlocation not on record | 2 |
| TUR-Alocation not on record | 2 |
| Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH)location not on record | 2 |
| Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Scienceslocation not on record | 2 |
| Rishon Le Zion, IL | 2 |
| Hunan Geological Museumlocation not on record | 2 |
| Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record | 2 |
| Denver, US | 2 |
| Bergen, NO | 2 |
| Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicachlocation not on record | 2 |
| Chapel Hill, US | 2 |
| JBCLMlocation not on record | 2 |
| JBAlocation not on record | 2 |
| Universidad de La Salle (La Salle)location not on record | 2 |
| Staatliches Museum fuer Naturkunde Karlsruhe (State Museum of Natural History)location not on record | 2 |
| Stockholm, SE | 1 |
| Edinburgh, GB | 1 |
| ROM007location not on record | 1 |
| Williamsburg, US | 1 |
| Samara National Research Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Jyväskylä, FI | 1 |
| Arequipa, PE | 1 |
| Dekalb, US | 1 |
| Xiamen, CN | 1 |
| Vancouver, CA | 1 |
| Sri Ramaswamy Memorial Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Museo della Bonifica di San Donà di Piavelocation not on record | 1 |
| Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA)location not on record | 1 |
| Musée des Confluenceslocation not on record | 1 |
| Badajoz, ES | 1 |
| Royal Botanic Gardens, Kewlocation not on record | 1 |
| Porrentruy, CH | 1 |
| Naturalis Biodiversity Centerlocation not on record | 1 |
| Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| PrivatHerblocation not on record | 1 |
| Wellington, NZ | 1 |
| Philadelphia, US | 1 |
| Banyoles, ES | 1 |
| Kew, GB | 1 |
| EL PASO, US | 1 |
| Herbarium of South China Botanical Gardenlocation not on record | 1 |
| Porvoo, FI | 1 |
| Frauenfeld, CH | 1 |
| Museo civico di Storia naturale Giacomo Doria di Genova | Giacomo Doria Natural History Museum in Genoalocation not on record | 1 |
| JBSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Tartu, EE | 1 |
| University of Guelph, OAC Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Tallinn, EE | 1 |
| SZUlocation not on record | 1 |
| SNSNMClocation not on record | 1 |
| Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record | 1 |
| Oulu, FI | 1 |
| DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record | 1 |
| Phyletisches Museum Jenalocation not on record | 1 |
| Lincoln, US | 1 |
| Mexico City, MX | 1 |
| Puebla, MX | 1 |
| Sede dell'Orto botanico del Museo di Storia naturale dell'Università degli Studi di Parmalocation not on record | 1 |
| LfUlocation not on record | 1 |
| Museo Achille Folettolocation not on record | 1 |
| Regensburgische Botanische Gesellschaftlocation not on record | 1 |
| McWane Science Centerlocation not on record | 1 |
| Frankfurt am Main | 1 |
| Pullman, US | 1 |
| Göteborg, SE | 1 |
| Université Lavallocation not on record | 1 |
| Trondheim, NO | 1 |
| KMNlocation not on record | 1 |
| ROM020location not on record | 1 |
| Herbario de la Universidad Técnica del Nortelocation not on record | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Althaea officinalis was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.