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Mathews, Ray

Hibiscus grandiflorus

Hibiscus grandiflorus Michx.

Swamp Rose-mallow, Pink Swamp Hibiscus, Large-flowered Hibiscus

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: higr4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The five pink petals of Swamp Rose-mallow flowers each have a red to purple center, are 4-6 in. long, and surround many stamens. Flowers nod slightly from leaf axils and occur singly. Velvety, alternate leaves are heart-shaped, three-lobed, and toothed. Seed pods are also velvety. This shrub-like, herbaceous to somewhat woody plant grows to 6 ft. tall or more.

Swamp Hibiscus is a member of the mallow family (family Malvaceae) which includes herbs, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often velvety with starlike or branched hairs, the flowers borne singly or in branched clusters. There are about 85 genera and 1,500 species, many in tropical America. Rose-of-Sharon and other Hibiscus, and Hollyhocks are grown as ornamentals. Okra is the edible fruit of one species of Hibiscus, and the hairs of seeds of Gossypium provide the fiber cotton.

From the Image Gallery

53 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 10 feet tall, often shorter.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Red , Pink
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , TX
Native Distribution: GA & FL to s. MS
Native Habitat: Marshes; ditches; other wet, open areas

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet
Soil Description: Wet soils.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Propagation

Description: Easily grown from seed planted in the spring.
Commercially Avail: yes

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

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

Research Literature

Reslit 2556 - Innovations in Hibiscus and Kosteletzkya (Malvaceae, Hibisceae) (2008) O. J. Blanchard
Reslit 2690 - Evaluation of twelve genotypes of Hibiscus for resistance to hibiscus sawfly, Atomacera decepta Rohwer (Hymenoptera: Argidae) (2004) D. W. Boyd Jr., C. L. Cheatham
Reslit 2692 - Meloidogyne spp. infecting ornamental plants in Florida (2010) J. A. Brito, R. Kaur, R. Cetintas, J. D. Stanley, ...
Reslit 2693 - Phylogeny of Hibiscus sect. Muenchhusia (Malvaceae) based on chloroplast rpL16 and ndhF, and nuclear ITS and GBSSI sequences (2004) R. L. Small
Reslit 2694 - Our hardy Hibiscus species as ornamentals (1970) H. F. Winters

This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature

Additional resources

USDA: Find Hibiscus grandiflorus in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Hibiscus grandiflorus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Hibiscus grandiflorus

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-13
Research By: TWC Staff

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