The genus Hibiscus
Family: Malvaceae
The Hibiscus genus has almost 450 species worldwide. In Arizona we have three species that are native, and in the southwest there are many more. Beware that there are even many more species of plants CALLED Hibiscus but are in other genera, usually in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Plants are also often commonly called rose mallow.
In addition to the native Arizona species, we grow many American species, and sometimes grow non-native species because of their popularity with tortoises, or as an edible crop.
The most famous Hibiscus species is probably Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis, the common hibiscus found in most regular garden centers/nurseries. It is an artificial hybrid created in cultivation in pre-European times by Polynesians in the west Pacific from the species Hibiscus cooperi and H. kaute. Another famous Hibiscus species is jamaica or roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) which is grown for its sour calyx (collected to make tea).
Probably all species of Hibiscus are edible. Many are traditional foods. Tortoises love hibiscus species (both the leaves and the flowers). And many Hibiscus, especially our native ones, are important nectar plants for native bees. Our native species are larval food plants for painted lady (Vanessa cardui) and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and many moth species. Many bee species are specialists on species of Hibiscus or plants in the Malvaceae.
The genus name Hibiscus is from the ancient Greek and Latin name for a mallow-like plant that is derived from Ibis, an Egyptian diety.
Photo of Hibiscus biseptus by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Arizona Rosemallow
Hibiscus biseptus
Herbaceous plant with a woody caudex reaching about 3’ tall. Very similar to Hibiscus coulteri but less shrubby (does not get woody above the caudex (woody tuberous growth at the base of the plant). Spring through fall large, light yellow flowers with deep red or purple spots at the throats appear. This is the largest flowering Hibiscus species in Arizona, even larger than the closely related H. coutleri. Capsules release small, hard seeds with fuzzy, almost cotton-like, fuzz surrounding the seed. In cold weather, plants will go dormant and die to the ground, only to re-emerge again in spring from the caudex.
Full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to 15°F.
Ethnobotanical use is undocumented.
Found on rocky slopes, in canyons and arroyos, from 3,000-4,500 ft. in Arizona, New Mexico, and south into Sonora and Sinaloa.
The meaning of the species name, biseptus, is unknown.
Photo of the flower of Hibiscus biseptus by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Desert Rosemallow
Hibiscus coulteri
Upright herbaceous shrub growing to about 6’ tall, often shorter. Plants maintain their woodiness in the stems and are more shrub-like than the more herbaceous H. biseptus. The flowers are similar but slightly smaller.
Full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to 15°F. Nectar-rich, yellow flowers throughout the year. Leaves turn reddish in cool weather. Plants go dormant in cold weather.
Ethnobotanical use is undocumented.
Found on dry, open hillsides and in canyons from 1,000-4,000 ft. in Arizona, southern New Mexico, souther Texas; south into central Mexico.
The species name, coulteri, is named for Dr. Thomas Coulter (1793-1843) an Irish botanist who was the first to collect the species in Arizona.
Paleface Rock Hibiscus
Hibiscus denudatus
Semi-evergreen shrub to about 3’ tall and wide, sometimes wider. Pink flowers appear mostly in spring. Flowers followed by capsules that release small fuzzy seeds.
Grow in full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to about 15°F.
Ethnobotanical use undocumented for this species.
The species name, denudatus, means naked, denuded.
Found on rocky or gravelly slopes, bajadas, and washes below 3,500 ft. Ranges across central and southern Arizona, from California to Texas and south to Durango and onto Baja California.
**A naturally occurring hybrid between Hibiscus denudatus and H. coulteri (Hibiscus ×sabei Weckesser) has been documented from western Texas
Scarlet Rosemallow
Hibiscus coccineus
Deciduous perennial plant that can reach 6-8’ tall, though in the low desert proportions will probably be much smaller. The foliage is much like marijuana or hemp and is often mistaken for such. Scarlet flowers appear from May until frost.
Plant in full to part sun, provide regular water. Can grow in a perennial bed or container, or even in pond margins. Hardy to -30°F. Does well in large containers.
Ethnobotany is not well-documented.
The plant is found in swamps, marshes and ditches on the coastal plain of the Southeastern United States. It is native from Southeastern Virginia south to Florida, then west to Louisiana. Though it is sometimes called Texas star, the plant is not found naturally in Texas.
The species epithet, coccineus, means scarlet.
Halberd-leaf Rosemallow
Hibiscus laevis
Deciduous, leafy perennial plant that can grow up to 6’ tall, though often shorter in the low desert. The leaves are light green and large. The flowers are huge (5” across), usually white or pink (sometimes red), and appear from mid-summer into fall. Plants die to the ground but re-emerge from roots in spring.
Full to part sun, regular watering. Can grow in a perennial bed or container, or even in pond margins. Hardy to well below zero °F. Does well in large containers.
There isn’t much ethnobotanical documentation on this species.
Native to the eastern half of the United States (including Texas) and in southeastern Canada in wet soils along streams, rivers, ponds, sloughs, ditches and swampy areas.
The species name, laevis, means smooth, referring to the leaves which are hairless.
Woolly Rock Hibiscus
Hibiscus lasiocarpus
Herbaceous shrub growing 3-6’ tall and deciduous. Spring through fall large white (occasionally pinkish) blossoms occur and are 3-4 inches long, with a crimson eye at the center. The petals fold up at night and look as though they had never been open. Stamens extend beyond the flower.
Grow in full sun with regular water, root hardy to -20°F. Can grow in a perennial bed or container, or even in pond margins. Does well in large containers.
The species name, lasiocarpus, means hairy-fruited.
Found on borders of sloughs, ponds & ditches; low, wet woods in the midwest and southern United States.
Heartleaf Hibiscus
Hibiscus martianus
Herbaceous shrub, growing 1-3’ tall depending on conditions. Red flowers can occur almost any time of year, even in winter if plants don’t experience frost. Evergreen in frost-free locations, deciduous in places with frost.
Full sun is best though it can tolerate some shade. Good drainage is best. Moderate to regular water. Root hardy to 15°F. Does well in large containers.
Ethnobotany is undocumented for this species.
The species name Martianus probably comes from the Roman god of war, Mars, and means "Servant of Mars". Formerly known as Hibiscus cardiophyllus.
Mostly found in canyons; talus slopes; gravelly hillsides; chaparral in Texas, south into Mexico.
Swamp Rosemallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Deciduous, shrubby plant that can reach 5-8’ tall and wide, though often much smaller in the low desert. Flowers occur midsummer through fall. Flowers can be up to 8” wide! Petal colors range from pure white through various pinks to deep red, and most have an eye of deep maroon.
Full to part sun, regular water. Can grow in a perennial bed or container, or even in pond margins. Does well in large containers.
The edible parts of the plant include its leaf buds and young leaves, flowers, immature seed pods (which can be prepared as okra), seeds, and roots. The leaves and roots are known to contain mucilage. Tea from boiled leaves has been used to relieve cough, sore throat, and digestive inflammation. These medicinal attributes of the tea have been used to treat dysentery, lung ailments, and urinary infections. An infusion of dried stalks has been used to treat bladder infections. Hibiscus moscheutos flowers have also been used externally to reduce swelling and pain from bruises and insect stings.
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.
The specific epithet, moscheutos, is Latin for mush-scented.
Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Evergreen shrub that can grow enormous in frost-free conditions (up to 15’) though in our region usually much smaller (4-5’). In warm weather flowers can occur and come in a wide variety of colors (red, pink, white, or a combination of colors). Some varieties are double-flowered.
Plant in full to part sun, regular water, protect from frost. Plants can re-emerge from cold damage to temperatures as low as the mid twenties °F. Does well in large containers.
This is an artificial hybrid created in cultivation in pre-European times by Polynesians in the west Pacific from the species Hibiscus cooperi and H. kaute. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics.
Jamaica
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Also known as roselle, this is a perennial shrub in the tropics, but treated as an annual in our region. We have not yet been able to get one to make it through the winter. Growing as much as 6’ tall or taller, and about as wide or wider, this lush plant has leathery buds (usually red) that open into hibiscus flowers. Flowers occur mostly in later summer until frost.
Grow in full to part sun, with regular water. Plants will usually not make it through winter, but produce copious seed that you can plant after threat of frost is over and the nighttime temperatures have warmed up.
This plant has a long history of use as food, medicine, dye, and fiber. More is elaborated in our domestic crop section.
This species is native to Africa, most likely West Africa. In the 16th and early 17th centuries it was spread to Asia and the West Indies, where it has since become naturalized in many places all over the world, especially following the African diaspora.
The common name "Roselle" is likely a corrupted version of the French name for this plant, "Oseille de Guinée," which means Guinea Sorrel. The species name, sabdariffa, is thought by some to come from a Jamaican word, and by others from a Turkish word. But the etymology of the species name is murky.