Scientific name
Hibiscus L.Common names
swamp rosemallow, water hibiscus, mahoe
Family
Malvaceae
Could be confused with
not easily confused with any other genus, especially when flowering
Species commonly cultivated
Hibiscus acetosella Welw. ex. Hiern. (Africa)
H. coccineus Walt. (southeastern U.S.)
H. moscheutos L. (U.S.)
H. tiliaceus L. (littoral tropics: Africa, Asia, Mexico, Pacific, South America)
H. trionum L. (Africa, Asia, Europe)
Adventive distribution
information not available; many species and cultivars grown around the world as ornamentals
Weed status
Hibiscus trionum L. is a weed in Australia and is listed as a noxious weed in some states in the United States.
Habit
erect herb, shrub, or small tree
Brief description
Annual or perennial. Erect bush to small tree. Leaves alternate, simple. petiolate; leaf blade ovate to lanceolate, often palmately lobed; margin often toothed or serrate. Inflorescence axillary, a cyme or solitary. Flowers usually solitary, sometimes axillary or in terminal aggregations, large and showy, trumpet-shaped; epicalyx present or fused with calyx; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, color variable, often pink to red. Dispersal of stem fragments by water or seeds by water or animals.