Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Althaea \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.

Source : WordNet®

althea
     n : any of various plants of the genus Althaea; similar to but
         having smaller flowers than genus Alcea [syn: {althaea},
         {hollyhock}]