Gulf Teabush
Melochia tomentosa
Family: Malvaceae
Evergreen shrub to about 3’ tall and wide. Pink to lavender flowers in warm weather, especially during the monsoon.
Full to part sun, moderate water, hardy to 20°F. There are a few other similar-looking species that could show up in the trade with roughly similar requirements.
The flowers attract loads of butterflies and other nectar-seeking insects.
There are 63 species of Melochia from the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, ranging from India eastwards through Malesia and the Pacific Islands to the Americas and the Caribbean. The genus, Melochia, is derived from the Arabic melóchich, a name for Corchorus olitorius, a salad plant in the East. The species, tomentosa, means covered in hairs, referring to the foliage.
Dry, open places on rocky limestone hills, in coastal thorn thickets, savanna, pineland, along roadsides, usually below 1600 ft. in southern Florida and southern Texas in the United States, south into Mexico, the West Indies, continuing to Brazil.