\Al*th[ae]"a\, Althea \Al*the"a\, n. [althaea, Gr. ?.]
(Bot.)
(a) A genus of plants of the Mallow family. It includes the
    officinal marsh mallow, and the garden hollyhocks.
(b) An ornamental shrub ({Hibiscus Syriacus}) of the Mallow
    family.