FNPS Plant Database

Hibiscus coccineus

scarlet hibiscus

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

scarlet hibiscus

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Hibiscus coccineus

Family:

Malvaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

5-8 ft tall by 2-4 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,red

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Blooms spring-summer.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant in moist areas. There is also a white-flowered variant.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seeds or division of roots. Seeds need some form of scarification (such as scraping with a file)

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Aquatic ---to--- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds



  • Larval host of  Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper butterflies and  four moths : Pearly Wood Nymph, Yellow Scallop Moth, Io Moth,  and Delightful Bird-Dropping Moths.


  • Attracts butterflies and  native bees (including the Rose-mallow Bee which is a Hibiscus specialist), beetles, etc. 


Attracts hummingbirds.

Native Habitats:

Wet sites. Strands, sloughs, swamps, brackish and freshwater marshes; commonly in water.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Its deeply divided leaves look somewhat like marijuana leaves(Cannabis spp.).

Citations:

Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999.  Florida butterfly gardening.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native Plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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