Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species are renowned for their large, showy flowers and those species are commonly known simply as "hibiscus", or less widely known as rose mallow.
Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to areas of east Asia, but widely introduced elsewhere, including much of Europe and North America. It was given the epithet syriacus because it had been collected from gardens in Syria. Common names include the rose of Sharon,, Syrian ketmia, shrub althea (or simply althea), and rose mallow. It is the national flower of South Korea and is mentioned in the South Korean national anthem.
Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow and shoeblack plant, is a cultigen of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae. It is an artificial hybrid created in cultivation in pre-European times by Polynesians in the west Pacific from the species Hibiscus cooperi and Hibiscus kaute. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics.
Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native Chinese hibiscus and its numerous hybrids, though the native Hibiscus arnottianus is occasionally planted.
Thespesia populnea, commonly known as the portia tree, Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts around the world. Although it is confirmed to be native only to the Old World tropics, other authorities consider it to have a wider, possibly pantropical native distribution. It is thought to be an invasive species in Florida and Brazil.
Hibiscus tiliaceus, commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zealand. It has been debated whether this species is native or introduced to Hawaii.
Hibiscus clayi, common names red Kauai rosemallow, Clay's hibiscus or Kokiʻo ʻula, is a perennial angiosperm of the mallow family Malvaceae. This species has unique leaves that are round and toothed and grow in a decussate pattern.
Hibiscus fragilis, the mandrinette, is an extremely rare shrub that is endemic to steep slopes of the mountains Corps de Garde and Le Morne Brabant on Mauritius and from two further plants on Rodrigues. The mandrinette is an evergreen plant with flowers 7–10 cm diameter with five bright pink to carmine red petals.
Abelmoschus manihot, commonly known as aibika, is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a tropical subshrub or shrub native to the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, central and southern China, Malesia, New Guinea, and Queensland. It is cultivated and eaten as a leaf vegetable, among other uses. It was previously classified as a species of Hibiscus but is now categorized under the genus Abelmoschus. This plant is also referred to as the sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus, or hibiscus manihot.
Hibiscus dioscorides is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a shrub endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. It grows on granite cliffs and among granite boulders in the eastern Hajhir Mountains at approximately 950 metres elevation. It is known only from the type specimen gathered on Jebal Jaaf.
Hibiscus diriffan is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. It grows on the southern limestone plateaus from Diksam to Wadi Irih and northwards to the granite of the Hajhir Mountains, from 20 to 1,300 metres elevation.
Hibiscus escobariae is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Hibiscus macropodus is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found only in Yemen.
Hibiscus quattenensis is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hibiscus, in the family Malvaceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. It is common on the coastal plains and dry limestone foothills and plateaus of southwestern Socotra from sea level to 600 metres elevation, where it grows in Croton socotranus shrubland and succulent shrubland.
Hibiscus scottii is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found only in Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
Hibiscus socotranus is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. It grows in open deciduous succulent shrubland on a limestone escarpment at the western end of the island.
Hibiscus stenanthus is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. Its grows in rocky areas of the limestone plateau in the northeastern portion of the island, from 350 to 600 metres elevation.
Hibiscus calyphyllus, the lemonyellow rosemallow, is a shrub from tropical Africa belonging to the genus Hibiscus. In 1883 this Hibiscus was offered for sale in England under the name Hibiscus chrysanthus with Port Natal, Cape Colony, identified as the source. By 1891 the same Hibiscus was identified as Hibiscus chrysantha in the United States, a practice which may have continued into the 1930s and contributed to incorrect species identification. In 1892 the name Hibiscus calycinus was designated as the correct name for the species; but, by 1894 the currently accepted name Hibiscus calyphyllus is found in association with Hibiscus calycinus. At the beginning of the 20th century, this Hibiscus was sold as seeds in the United States under the name Hibiscus Giant Yellow. Because of the similarity of the flowers, it is quite common to find Abelmoschus manihot confused with Hibiscus calyphyllus in the early 20th century gardening literature of the United States, particularly in the area of cold tolerance. If the species identification is correct, the 1903 report in The Flower Garden states that: "Giant Yellow is a beautiful canary yellow with crimson throat, hardy as far north as St. Louis, but safer in the cellar above that latitude", then Hibiscus calyphyllus may have some degree of cold tolerance. St. Louis, Missouri is in USDA Zone 6a but there are currently no reports of Hibiscus calyphyllus overwintering in USDA Zone 6a; it is known to overwinter successfully in USDA Zone 8a.
Hibiscus erlangeri is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a shrub native to Ethiopia and southern Somalia.
Lyndley Alan Craven was a botanist who became the Principal Research Scientist of the Australian National Herbarium.
