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Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus moscheutos: Plant
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Hibiscus moscheutos: Flowers
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Common name:	Swamp Rose Mallow	Family:	Malvaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200, 274
Synonyms:	Hibiscus palustris (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern N. America - Massachusetts to Michigan, south to Alabama, Georgia and Florida,
Habitat:	Saline marshes and the shores of lakes[260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	H. incanus[B,P] H. moscheutos ssp. incanus[B,P] H. moscheutos ssp. moscheutos[B,P] H. moscheutos ssp. palustris[B,P] H. moscheutos subsp. palustris[G] H. moscheutos var. purpurascens[B,P] H. oculiroseus[B,P] H. opulifolius[B,P] H. pinetorum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Crimson-eyed Rose-mallow [B], Crimsoneyed Rosemallow [P], Hibiscus,Marsh [E], Mallow Rose [H], Mallow, Rose [S], Rose Mallow [S], Swamp Rose Mallow [L],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Malvales. Mallow family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Nc

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 2.5m by 2m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Although there are no reports of edibility for this species, most of the plants in this family have edible leaves and flowers[K].
The flowers are about 15cm in diameter[233], though in some cultivars they are up to 25cm in diameter[260]. They have a mild flavour and somewhat mucilaginous texture with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste[K].
The leaves are rather bland and are also mucilaginous, but have a slight hairiness to them which detracts a little from the pleasure of eating them[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Demulcent; Emollient.

The leaves and roots abound in mucilage[222]. Like many other plants in this family, they are demulcent and emollient and are used in the treatment of dysentery, lung ailments and urinary ailments[222]. an infusion of the dried stalks has been used in the treatment of inflammation of the bladder[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in a sheltered position in full sun[200]. Well-suited to a water-side planting[200].
One report says that the plants are hardy in zone 5 (tolerating winter temperatures down to about -25°c), this same report also says that the plant succeeds outdoors in Britain only in those areas where winter temperatures do not fall below about -5°c[200]. Another report says that it needs to be grown in a warm garden in the warmer areas of Britain[233]. Plants of the cultivar 'Southern Belle' have been seen growing outdoors at Kew Gardens, they are situated on a south-east facing wall of the Temperate House and have been there for at least 3 years as of 2000[K].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually rapid. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Some reports say that the seed can be sown in situ outside and that it gives a good rate of germination[78, 80, 113].

Cultivars

'Southern Belle': The flowers are much larger than the species, up to 25cm in diameter, whilst the plant is somewhat smaller than the species, growing up to 1.5 metres tall[260]. It is growing outdoors against a sunny wall at Kew Gardens[K].
'Disco Belle': The flowers are somewhat larger than in the species and are produced on a considerably smaller plant growing about 50cm tall[260].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Hibiscus moscheutos ssp. moscheutos (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Hibiscus palustris (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Malvaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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