Dioscorides' Plants, Then and Now
ἀλθαία

Marsh mallow

Althaea officinalis L. · Malvaceae
Identification: ProbableNot endemic to GreeceConservation status not assessed
Risk rank
3 of 32 (2–10)
Risk score
0.54(0.51–0.56)3 · Elevated

Then and now

2050 · moderate emissions. SSP2-4.5, 2041-2060, 3 climate models; ranges show the spread.

The plant
ἀλθαία
Photograph of Althaea officinalis
Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (photo of Marsh mallow)
2050 · moderate emissions
Natural Earth (PD) · model output · ~10 km cells
Loading map layers (0 of 1)
Layers
Range keptLost by 2050Gained by 2050Cultivation zoneNatura 2000Occurrence cellCells ≈ 10 × 10 km

Occurrences are aggregated to ~10 km cells; exact points are never published. View range data as a table

De Materia Medica · Book III · ch. 146c. 50–70 CE
ἀλθαία
althaia
ἀολθαία, ἣν ἔνιοι ἐβίσκον καλοῦσι, μολόχης ἐστὶν […] ἀγρίας εἶδος· ἔχει δὲ φύλλα περιφερῆ ὥσπερ κυκλάμινος, ἔγχνοα, ἄνθος ῥοδοειδές …
Modern identification
Althaea officinalisL. · MalvaceaeProbable

Source: Osbaldeston 2000.

Full citation and quoted evidence

Wellmann (ed.) 1906, DMM III 146 ("ἀλθαία, ἣν ἔνιοι ἐβίσκον καλοῦσι, μολόχης ἐστὶν ἀγρίας εἶδος"); Osbaldeston 2000, ch. 3-163: "Althaea officinalis [Linnaeus] — Marsh Mallow".

Opening words of the chapter (Wellmann numbering). Edition: Wellmann 1906-1914 (Weidmann, Berlin), public domain; digitised by First1KGreek (Harvard/Leipzig, CC BY-SA 4.0), urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0656.tlg001.1st1K-grc1. See the page scan.

Modern official status

European Medicines Agency herbal monograph

Althaeae radix · category: traditional

We report regulatory status only and make no claim about effects. Read the monograph for its exact wording.

Open the monograph on ema.europa.eu

Projected range change by 2050

2050 · moderate (SSP2-4.5)−62% (−55 to −68%)
2050 · high (SSP5-8.5)−73% (−63 to −80%)

Median and spread across 3 climate models. Whisker axis −80% to +20%, dashed tick at 0; a chevron means the value runs beyond the axis.

Suitable cultivation area, 2050 moderate2,874 km² (2,420–3,562 km²)

Risk score breakdown

0.54 (0.51–0.56)Elevated risk class 3
00.51.0
  • Range loss 0.25 of max 0.40 · (0.22–0.27)
  • Endemism 0.00 of max 0.20 · not endemic
  • Conservation status 0.10 of max 0.20 · not assessed
  • Harvest pressure 0.19 of max 0.20

Stays in the top 10 in 95% of 1,000 random weightings.

How the score is built, and how sensitive it is to weights

Model quality

Standard grade
AUC (spatial block CV)
0.87 ± 0.07
Distance-only baseline AUC
0.77 ours is higher
Boyce index
0.20 ± 0.32
TSS
0.75 ± 0.14
Occurrence records
54 after cleaning (of 63)

5-fold spatial block cross-validation (~25 km blocks); ± is one standard deviation across folds. Null model AUC 0.55. The baseline scores each held-out point by its distance to the nearest training record, on the same folds. "Standard" grade means ≥ 30 records, AUC ≥ 0.75 and above the baseline; fewer than 10 records is a data gap; anything else is low grade.

Suggested action

Protect and cultivate

Protect remaining wild stands and start cultivation in the 2050 zones.

Rule: Loses habitat in all 3 climate models · has a 2050 cultivation zone.

Where it could be grown

Identification through time

Who has matched ἀλθαία to which modern plant, from the Renaissance to today.

All names through time
Cited for the identification we modelProposed an alternativeAlternative preferred by our sourceAlternative rejected by our sourceCommonly proposed, not verified by us
Renaissance commentators
Linnaean botany & Flora Graeca
Edition
Modern
150016001700180019002000
  • ἀλθαίαDMM 3.146 · Marsh mallowAlthaea officinalisProbable

Select a mark to read who proposed which plant, and the source we read it in.

Dates are each authority's main herbal or commentary (approximate, "c."), used to order the timeline. Claims are parsed from our curated identification table; every quote links back to a page scan or edition on the plant page.

Caveats

  • Identification is probable; results describe Althaea officinalis L., which may not be the plant Dioscorides meant.

Range data (map alternative)

ScenarioSuitable ~10 km cellsChangeShare in Natura 2000
Now464—19%
2050 moderate185 (156–219)−62% (−55 to −68%)25% (25–26%)
2050 high128 (101–177)−73% (−63 to −80%)25% (25–28%)