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Shrub or small tree (, or ) in the mallow family, native to eastern Asia but widely planted as an ornamental for its showy flowers. It can grow to 10 ft (3 m) and generally assumes a low-branching pyramid shape. The mallowlike flowers range from white and pinkish-lavender to purple, generally with a crimson base; some varieties have double flowers. The name also sometimes refers to the unrelated Aaron's-beard (), a shrubby relative of St.-John's-wort.
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