FNPS Plant Database

Hibiscus grandiflorus

swamp rosemallow

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

swamp rosemallow

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Hibiscus grandiflorus

Family:

Malvaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

6-10 ft tall by 4 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pink

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or background screen for wet places.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Aquatic ---to--- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, 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, Butterflies, 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 butterflies, bees, beetles, and birds.

Native Habitats:

Depressions in pine flatwoods, brackish and freshwater marshes, edges of lakes and ponds, along rivers, swamps, canals, ditches. Commonly in water but may occur in dry floodplains and dry marshes.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This is a wetland plant. It is rarely grown, but it has potential in appropriate sites.

Citations:

https://the-natural-web.org/2016/08/11/swamp-rose-mallow-for-bees-butterflies-beetles-birds-and-beauty/



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.



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

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