5013.000 Hibiscus L.

Hauman, L. (1963) Malvaceae Flore du Congo du Ruanda et du Burundi Volume X 92-190

Description of the genus

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs or shrubs. Leaves simple and palmately lobed or digitately compound. Flowers usually solitary and axillary, but often forming terminal inflorescences by reduction of the upper leaves, yellow with a dark centre or red, pink, purplish or white. Epicalyx of 5-20 bracts, rarely 0. Calyx with 5 lobes or (rarely) 5-10 teeth. Ovary 4-5-locular; each loculus with 3-many ovules. Style 5-branched. Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent capsule.

Derivation of name: Greek name for the marsh mallow

Worldwide: c.300 species occurring in warm temperate and tropical areas of the world

Tanzania: 1 cultivated taxon.

Insects associated with this genus:
Abantis paradisea (Paradise skipper) Larval foodplant
Filodes costivitralis (Window pearl) Larval food plant
No image yet

Links to cultivated taxa    View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesContent
acetosella Welw. ex HiernDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Hibiscus:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Hibiscus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Hibiscus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Hibiscus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Hibiscus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Hibiscus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Hibiscus
JSTOR Plant Science: Hibiscus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Hibiscus
Plants of the World Online: Hibiscus
Tropicos: Hibiscus
Wikipedia: Hibiscus

Copyright: The Tanzania flora team, 2026

The Tanzania flora team (2026). Flora of Tanzania: Cultivated plants: Genus page: Hibiscus.
https://www.tanzaniaflora.com/cult/genus.php?genus_id=942, retrieved 19 October 2026

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