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Coulter's hibiscus, desert rose-mallow

common rose-mallow, crimsoneyed rosemallow, swamp rose-mallow

Habit Subshrubs, to 2 m, herbage with appressed-stellate and simple hairs throughout. Herbs, perennial, to 2.5 m. Stems glabrous or variously hairy, but without line of curved hairs.
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.

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.

stipules subulate, 1–4 mm;

petiole 1/4–3/4 blade, glabrate or finely hairy;

blade narrowly to broadly lanceolate to triangular-ovate or orbiculate, 3-lobed or unlobed, 8–20 × 3–13 cm, base cordate to cuneate, margins crenate to dentate or serrate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces variously hairy, sometimes glabrous adaxially, nectary absent.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers in axils of distal leaves.

solitary flowers in axils of distal leaves, pedicels of later-produced flowers often adnate to subtending petioles.

Pedicels

jointed below apices, to 17 cm, usually much exceeding subtending leaves;

involucellar bractlets 8–14, linear-subulate, 1–2 cm, margins ciliate.

variously jointed sub-basally to distally, 2–15 cm, 1/2–1 1/2 as long as petiole, glabrate or finely hairy;

involucellar bractlets [8–]10–14[or 15], linear-lanceolate, 0.5–4.5(–5) cm, margins ciliate or not, hairy.

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 to slightly declinate;

calyx divided 1/2–2/3 length, broadly campanulate, 1.5–4 cm, somewhat larger in fruit, lobes triangular or triangular-ovate, apices acute to subcaudate, surfaces hairy, nectaries absent;

corolla funnelform to broadly so, petals pink or white, sometimes with red spot basally, narrowly to broadly, obliquely obovate, 4–12 × 3.5–6.5 cm, margins repand, sometimes undulate, minutely hairy abaxially mostly where exposed in bud;

staminal column straight, white or cream, 1.2–5 cm, to 1/2 as long as petals, bearing filaments nearly throughout, free portion of filaments not secund, 2–8 mm;

pollen yellow;

styles white, 10–40 mm;

stigmas creamy white to 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.

dark brown, ovoid to subglobose, 1.4–3.5 cm, apex apiculate, glabrous or hairy.

Seeds

dark brown, angulately reniform-ovoid, 2.4–3 mm, silky-hairy ± throughout.

brown, reniform-globose, 2.5–3 mm, verrucose-papillose.

2n

= 38.

Hibiscus coulteri

Hibiscus moscheutos

Phenology Flowering nearly year-round.
Habitat Desert, rocky slopes
Elevation 600–1600 m (2000–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sonora, Zacatecas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON; n Mexico [Introduced in Europe (sw France, n Italy, nw Portugal), Asia (Georgia)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Capsules glabrous; involucellar bractlets usually not ciliate; leaf blade surfaces usually glabrous adaxially; mostly e of Mississippi River.
subsp. moscheutos
1. Capsules hairy; involucellar bractlets usually ciliate; leaf blade surfaces usually hairy adaxially; mostly w of Mississippi River, Florida.
subsp. lasiocarpos
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 256. FNA vol. 6, p. 262.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Hibiscus Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Hibiscus
Sibling taxa
H. acetosella, H. aculeatus, H. biseptus, H. clypeatus, H. coccineus, H. dasycalyx, H. denudatus, H. furcellatus, H. grandiflorus, H. laevis, H. martianus, H. moscheutos, H. mutabilis, H. poeppigii, H. radiatus, H. rosa-sinensis, H. schizopetalus, H. striatus, H. syriacus, H. trionum
H. acetosella, H. aculeatus, H. biseptus, H. clypeatus, H. coccineus, H. coulteri, H. dasycalyx, H. denudatus, H. furcellatus, H. grandiflorus, H. laevis, H. martianus, H. mutabilis, H. poeppigii, H. radiatus, H. rosa-sinensis, H. schizopetalus, H. striatus, H. syriacus, H. trionum
Subordinate taxa
H. moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpos, H. moscheutos subsp. moscheutos
Name authority Harvey ex A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 23. (1852) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 693. (1753)
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