Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Malvales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Hibiscus coccineus
FAMILY
Malvaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Scarlet Rosemallow at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Hibiscus coccineus
FAMILY
Malvaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Hibiscus coccineus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hibiscus coccineus
COMMON NAME:
Scarlet Rosemallow, Scarlet Hibiscus, Swamp Mallow
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
John B. Nelson jbn_187695055_ccdba1699f
July
In Malvaceae, stamens are united to form a long tube surrounding the ovary, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm180807_3674
July Greenville County SC
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_070421atlanta06
July Fulton County GA
Old Fourth Ward Park
)
Sharon Howell slh_photo_11
July Greenville County SC
In cultivation
)
Sharon Howell slh_photo_12
July Greenville County SC
In cultivation
)
Will Stuart wil4826668459_ac93084246
July Union County NC
Petals separate from each other when the flower is fully open, per All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999).
)
Will Stuart wil4827274404_8d1fda3084
July Union County NC
Leaves have 5-7 narrow palmate often cleft lobes, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
JK Marlow jkm180919_4813
September Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Hibiscus coccineus
FAMILY
Malvaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Hibiscus coccineus
FAMILY
Malvaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Hibiscus coccineus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hibiscus coccineus
683
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: marshes, swamp forests, roadside swales, cultivated as an ornamental in yards, in much of our area presumably introduced from farther south, but sometimes appearing native, per Weakley's Flora
Native to Georgia, presumably introduced in the Carolinas?
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Red
5 sepals united at base or more than half their length
5 petals
Stamens united to form a staminal column surrounding ovary and styles
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall?
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p178
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p159
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p091
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p375
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p049
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".