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. Other names include hardy hibiscus, rose of sharon, and tropical hibiscus.
Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to Korea, and south-central and southeast China, but widely introduced elsewhere, including much of Asia. 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, 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 species of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics, but its native range is Vanuatu.
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 laevis, the halberd-leaf rosemallow, is a herbaceous perennial flower native to central and eastern North America. Their showy, creamy-white or pink flowers are large, up to 15 centimetres (6 in) across, and are hard to miss. These flowers require exposure to sunlight to open up properly, and then last only a single day.
Hibiscus waimeae is a species of flowering plant within the okra family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaii.
Hibiscus clayi, common names red Kauai rosemallow, Clay's hibiscus or Kokiʻo ʻula, is a perennial angiosperm of the mallow family Malvaceae.
Hibiscus grandiflorus, the swamp rosemallow, is a species of flowering plant in the okra family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the Southeastern United States.
Hibiscus acetosella, the cranberry hibiscus or African rosemallow, is a flowering plant of the family Malvaceae. The epithet acetosella is of Latin origin and is a diminutive of the Latin name for sorrel which comes from the sour taste experienced when eating the young leaves of both plants. Hibiscus acetosella is also known colloquially as false roselle, maroon mallow, red leaved hibiscus, and red shield hibiscus. It is one of the approximately 200–300 species that are seen in sub-tropic and tropic regions. This ornamental is usually found in abandoned fields or open areas, marshes, and forest clearings. Cranberry hibiscus is a member of a perennial group known as hardy hibiscus. In contrast to the tropical hibiscus, hardy hibiscus can tolerate colder conditions, are more vigorous, longer lasting, and have larger flowers. In colder climates, Hibiscus acetosella is easily an annual, but is often regarded as a perennial to zone 8–11. During one season, the plant can grow 90–170 cm (3.0–5.6 ft) tall and 75 cm (30 in) wide as a shrub-subshrub.
Hibiscus moscheutos, the rose mallow, swamp rose-mallow, crimsoneyed rosemallow, or eastern rosemallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is a cold-hardy perennial wetland plant that can grow in large colonies. The hirsute leaves are of variable morphology, but are commonly deltoidal in shape with up to three lobes. It is found in wetlands and along the riverine systems of the eastern United States from Texas to the Atlantic states, its territory extending northward to southern Ontario.
Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as the Confederate rose, Dixie rosemallow, cotton rose or cotton rosemallow, is a plant long cultivated for its showy flowers. Originally native to southern China and Taiwan, it is now found on all continents except Antarctica.
Hibiscus coccineus, the scarlet rosemallow, is a hardy Hibiscus species that looks much like Cannabis sativa (marijuana). It is also known as Texas star, brilliant hibiscus, and scarlet hibiscus.
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 schizopetalus is a species of Hibiscus native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Its common names include fringed rosemallow, Japanese lantern, coral hibiscus, and spider hibiscus.
Hibiscus denudatus is a perennial shrub of the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is in the rosemallow genus, Hibiscus.
Hibiscus lasiocarpos is a species of hibiscus known by the common name hairy-fruited hibiscus. It is also one of several hibiscus called rosemallow. It is native to much of the southeastern United States, as well as parts of California and northern Mexico. It is a large, bushy perennial herb with sprawling stems reaching one to two meters long. The leaves are heart-shaped, toothed, and pointed, and generally between 6 and 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence holds large showy, solitary flowers. Each flower has a cup of partly fused sepals beneath a layer of slender bracts. These may be covered in hairs or woolly fibers. The flower's large petals may be up to 10 centimeters long and are generally bright white with red bases. The stamen tube and anthers are white or cream. The fruit is a capsule 2.5–3 centimeters long containing spherical seeds.
Philodendron hederaceum, the heartleaf philodendron is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to Central America and the Caribbean which is common in the houseplant trade. Philodendron hederaceum var. hederaceum, the "velvet philodendron," is a subspecies which is in the houseplant trade under its previously name of Philodendron micans.
Hibiscus splendens, the splendid hibiscus, is a species of flowering shrub or tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae. Other common names include hollyhock tree and pink cottonwood. H. splendens is a fairly common plant native to eastern Australia. The range of natural distribution is from Wollongong in the state of New South Wales to Blackdown Tableland National Park in central east Queensland. The habitat is on clearings or disturbances around the margins of the drier rainforests.
Hibiscus radiatus is native to southern and southeast Asia. It has 15 cm (5.9 in) mauve flowers that have a purple center and yellow anthers. Leaves are dentate, with upper leaves lobed into three, five, or seven parts. Leaves are mistaken as marijuana, but radiatus' stems have small thorns. It is frequently grown as a vegetable or medicinal herb.
Hibiscus striatus, the striped hibiscus or striped rosemallow, is a plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. Its flowers are 5 inches across, some of the largest flowers of any mallow plant.
