Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We understand that you are looking for a plant, preferably a hibiscus, to form as a bonsai for your chameleon's cage. Since we are not lizard experts, and are not even sure we can find a list of plants poisonous to reptiles, we will stick to what we know about, which is native plants. Is Malvaviscus arboreus (Turkscap) a candidate for bonsai? Probably not. Even a candidate for indoor growth in a cage? Definitely not.

Don't get us wrong, Turkscap is one of our favorite plants. It is native to Georgia and a perennial. For a partly shady or shady spot, especially where you want to attract hummingbirds, we would recommend it. However, it grows from 3 to 6 ft. tall (and taller, if it likes the spot), deciduous, blooms red July to September, and its native habitat is disturbed areas. It is classified as a coarse shrub, with heart-shaped leaves up to 5" or more in length. Pictures.

Now, the zinger. Malvaviscus arboreus (Turkscap) is not even a hibiscus, but a member of the Malvavaceae (Mallow) family. If you follow the above plant link to our webpage on this plant, you will see that one of its common names is "sleeping hibiscus," we don't know why, common names are a constant puzzle. We think you will agree that this is not a candidate for bonsai nor indoor use, nor a chameleon's cage.

Since we know less about the practice of bonsai than we do about lizards, here is an article from the Dallas Bonsai Gardens, The Bonsai Site. In an attempt to acquire a little knowledge about the animal in question, we found a very good article from kingsnake.com The Veiled Chameleon: Purchase and Captive Care. The plants recommended are not native, but then, neither is the veiled chameleon. You would be much safer taking advice about plants not harmful to your pet from those experts than from us.  Pictures of veiled chameleon from Google.