5013.000 Hibiscus L.

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

Caprivi: 17 taxa.

The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus:
Abantis paradisea (Paradise skipper)
Filodes costivitralis (Window pearl)
Hibiscus caesius

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

SpeciesContent
allenii Sprague & Hutch.Description, Image
articulatus Hochst. ex A. Rich.Description, Image
caesius GarckeDescription, Image
calyphyllus Cav.Image
cannabinus L.Description, Image
diversifolius Jacq. subsp. rivularis (Bremek. & Oberm.) ExellDescription, Image
dongolensis DelileDescription, Image
lobatus (Murray) KuntzeDescription, Image
mastersianus Hiern
mechowii Garcke
micranthus L.f.Description, Image
nigricaulis BakerDescription, Image
ovalifolius (Forssk.) VahlDescription, Image
praeteritus R.A. DyerDescription, Image
sidiformis Baill.Description, Image
trionum L.Description, Image
vitifolius L. subsp. vitifolius Description, Image

Other sources of information about Hibiscus:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Hibiscus
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Hibiscus
Flora of Malawi: Hibiscus
Flora of Mozambique: Hibiscus
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Hibiscus
Flora of Zambia: Hibiscus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Hibiscus
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated 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: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Caprivi: Genus page: Hibiscus.
https://www.capriviflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=942, retrieved 19 March 2024

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