Hollyhock. 
(AMBITION.) 
“The fallen hollyhock.” 
Ebenezer Elliott. 
T HE emblem of that crime by which Wolsey tells us the 
angels fell is the tall and stately Hollyhock. A few years 
ago it was often designated the “ garden mallow,” and, indeed, 
belongs to the mallow family. From the fact that it is known 
in France as Rose d'outre Mer , or “rose from beyond the sea,” 
it has been surmised that it was first introduced into Europe 
from Syria by the Crusaders. Sometimes it is styled the 
“ China rose,” because large numbers of roots have been im¬ 
ported from that country, with whose inhabitants its showy 
bloomage makes it a great favourite. 
In some parts of France this symbol of ambition is used to 
show the divisions of gardens and vineyards, in the same way 
that privet is in England. Phillips, in his “ Flora Historica, 
strongly recommends that it be thus employed here, and in¬ 
dulges in the prophecy that some day “ the hollyhock will be 
planted in the hedges of our fields, and the whole appearance 
of the country be much improved by relieving the uniformity 
of fences. Considerable benefit,” he adds, “would at the same 
time be received by those cottagers who have the prudence to 
<nve attention to the hive, since the late season at which the 
hollyhock flowers gives the bees an opportunity to make a 
second season for collecting their sweets. 
The blossom is said to furnish a very large quantity of bee 
honey—a fact which did not escape Horace Smiths poet eye. 
“And from the nectaries of hollyhocks 
The humble bee, e’en till he faints, will sip.” 
These proud towering flowers supply many other valuable 
requisites besides the storing of hives, but their economic uses 
