Hibiscus coulteri |
Hibiscus grandiflorus |
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Coulter's hibiscus, desert rose-mallow |
swamp rose-mallow |
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Habit | Subshrubs, to 2 m, herbage with appressed-stellate and simple hairs throughout. | Herbs, perennial, to 3 m. Stems glabrous or rarely stellate-hairy on younger parts, without line of minute, curved length 1/2–1 times petioles, glabrate or finely hairy; involucellar bractlets 9–13, linear-subulate, 1.3–2.7 cm, margins not ciliate, velvety-hairy. |
Stems | stellate hairs of younger stems dense, appressed, 4-armed, arms approximate in pairs, aligned with stem axis, lines of fine, curved hairs absent or obscured; older growth grayish, rough, glabrescent. |
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Leaves | stipules linear-subulate, 3–10 mm; petiole primarily in distal 1/2, sometimes themselves shallowly pinnately lobed, surfaces scabridulous, hairs appressed-stellate, obscure nectary present abaxially on midvein near base. |
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Inflorescences | solitary flowers in axils of distal leaves. |
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Pedicels | jointed below apices, to 17 cm, usually much exceeding subtending leaves; involucellar bractlets 8–14, linear-subulate, 1–2 cm, margins ciliate. |
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Flowers | erect or ascending; calyx divided 3/4+ length, funnelform, 1.4–2.2 cm, equaling or slightly exceeding involucel, lobes narrowly lanceolate-triangular, margins ciliate, apices attenuate, nectaries absent; corolla rotate, petals yellow to cream, usually with dark to obscure maroon lines basally, asymmetrically obovate to broadly obovate, 1.6–4 × 1–3.5 cm, margins ± entire, sparingly hairy abaxially where exposed in bud; staminal column straight, yellow or cream, 0.6–1.4 cm, bearing filaments throughout, free portion of filaments not secund, 1–3 mm; pollen yellow-orange; styles cream, 1.5–5 mm; stigmas maroon or cream. |
horizontal or ascending; calyx divided to ± middle, broadly campanulate, 2.9–6 cm, larger in fruit, lobes triangular, apices acute to subcaudate, velvety-hairy, nectaries absent; corolla broadly to narrowly funnelform, petals pale pink to white, red basally, narrowly obovate, usually not conspicuously overlapping, 8.5–14 × 4–8.5 cm, apical margins repand, finely hairy abaxially where exposed in bud; staminal column straight, pink to white, 6.2–9.5 cm, length 2/3 petals, bearing filaments throughout its length, free portion of filaments secund, 3–9 mm; pollen yellow; styles white, 7–17 mm; stigmas yellow. |
Capsules | pale olivaceous gray with darker median stripe on each valve, ovoid or ellipsoid, 0.7–1.7 cm, to 2/3 calyces, apex rounded, hairy near apex or glabrous throughout. |
light to dark brown, ovoid to subglobose, 2.2–3.5 cm, apex apiculate, hispid with simple, yellowish-brown to reddish-brown hairs. |
Seeds | dark brown, angulately reniform-ovoid, 2.4–3 mm, silky-hairy ± throughout. |
brown to reddish brown, reniform-globose, 2.8–3.1 mm, verrucose-papillose. |
2n | = 38. |
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Hibiscus coulteri |
Hibiscus grandiflorus |
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Phenology | Flowering nearly year-round. | Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep). |
Habitat | Desert, rocky slopes | Freshwater and brackish marshes |
Elevation | 600–1600 m (2000–5200 ft) | 0–20 m (0–100 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sonora, Zacatecas)
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; West Indies (w Cuba)
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Discussion | Hibiscus coulteri has been recorded in the southern half of Arizona; in Otero County, New Mexico; and in the region west of the Pecos River in Texas. A naturally occurring hybrid between Hibiscus coulteri and H. denudatus (Hibiscus ×sabei Weckesser) has recently been documented from western Texas (W. Weckesser 2011). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The flowers of Hibiscus grandiflorus first open in the evening, emit a pleasant fragrance, and are pollinated by sphingid moths (O. J. Blanchard 1976). It is relatively common only in Florida. Hibiscus grandiflorus is sometimes cultivated and has been found to be hardy as far north as Illinois (S. R. Hill, pers. comm.). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 256. | FNA vol. 6, p. 263. |
Parent taxa | Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Hibiscus | Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Hibiscus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | H. urbanii | |
Name authority | Harvey ex A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 23. (1852) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 46. (1803) |
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