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Malvaviscus arboreus
Malvaviscus arboreus Dill. ex Cav.
Turkscap, Wax Mallow, Bleeding Hearts, Mexican Apple, Manzanita
Malvaceae (Mallow Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: MAAR14
USDA Native Status: L48 (NI), HI (I), PR (I), VI (I)
This species includes botanical varieties that are North American natives. However, it also includes botanical varieties that are not native to North America, e.g. Malvaviscus arboreus var. arboreus, Wax Mallow. Non-native taxa are not treated in this database.
A coarse shrub, upper stems greenish and velvety to the touch, woody near the base. Occasional in light shade near streams. Leaves, including petioles, up to 5 inches or more long; blades as broad as long, broadly heart shaped to weakly 3 lobed, with broad teeth, upper surface dark green, lower surface lighter and velvety, palmately veined. Flowers showy, petals bright red, overlapping, 1 inch or more long, pistil and stamens forming a column protruding 3/4 inch beyond the petals, appearing mostly in late summer and fall. Fruit red, a 5 lobed capsule cupped in green remnants of the flower.
Turk’s Cap is a member of the mallow family (family Malvaceae), which includes herbs, shrubs, and rarely small trees. There are about 85 genera and 1,500 species, many in tropical America. Okra and the plant that produces cotton are also in this family.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Palmate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Berry , Schizocarp
Size Notes: Up to about 10 feet tall. Occasionally up to about 30 feet.
Fruit: Schizocarpic berries.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: RedBloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , HI , LA , MS , NC , SC , TXNative Distribution: Introduced and local in the southeastern U.S., from Texas to North Carolina and south to the Florida Keys.
Native Habitat: Disturbed areas.
Benefit
Deer Resistant: ModeratePropagation
Propagation Material: SeedsDescription: Grows readily from seed, but they are hard to gather because they fall and get eaten so quickly. Also look under established plants in spring for seedlings to dig up.
Seed Treatment: Allow to dry whole and then crush the desiccated fruit with a rolling pin.
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National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FAC | FACU | UPL | UPL | UPL | UPL |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Naval Air Station Kingsville - Kingsville, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge, c/o Wimberley Birding Society - Wimberley, TX
Jacob's Well Natural Area - Wimberley, TX
Bibliography
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. WasowskiBibref 354 - Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
From the Archive
Wildflower Newsletter 1993 VOL. 10, NO.2 - Berry Browsing in the Backyard, Director\'s Report, Essays on Trillium\'s, Natio...Additional resources
USDA: Find Malvaviscus arboreus in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Malvaviscus arboreus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Malvaviscus arboreus
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-17Research By: TWC Staff