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Dig into Plants: Swamp Rose-mallow

Swamp Rose-Mallow

Other Common Names: Pink Swamp Hibiscus, Large-flowered Hibiscus

Scientific Name: Hibiscus grandiflorus

Native to Alabama: Yes

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Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

  • I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
  • I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
  • I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
  • I can grow 5 – 15 feet high and 2 – 4 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Native Bees
Specialist: Rose-mallow Bee

Other Pollinators

Other Birds

Hummingbirds

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Crimson-eyed Rose-mallow
(Hibiscus moscheutos)

Woolly Rose-mallow
(Hibiscus lasiocarpos)

Smooth Rose-mallow
(Hibiscus laevis)

Scarlet Rose-mallow
(Hibiscus coccineus)

Rose of Sharon
(Hibiscus syriacus)

Maintenance Notes

  • Dormant in winter.
  • Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase.
  • Dead stalks can be removed in late winter.
  • Remove old flowers before they form seedheads or prune plants back by 1/3 after a flush of bloom is finished to encourage rebloom.
  • Keep mulch from touching the stems to prevent Southern stem blight.
  • When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
  • Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
  • Requires moist to wet soil at all times.

Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Prefers wet to moist
soils at all times

Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

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LEAF DESCRIPTION

Grayish-green and velvety (top and bottom of leaf are hairy); 3-5 shallow lobes; up to 10 inches long and wide; greenish-reddish hair stems.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape:
Deltoid to heart-shaped

Margin:
Entire/Smooth

Arrangement:
Alternate

Form:
Simple

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FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Flowers have 5 overlapping pink petals that are reddish-purple at the base; flowers can be up to 10 inches wide and are one of the largest in North America; blooms open at night and last for one day.

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)

Color:
White, red, pink

Shape:
Funnelform

Bloom Months:
Mar – Sep

Flickr – Dani Tinker

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds

Type:
Fruit –
Dry Seed Pod

Description:
fruit is dry, hairy capsule
that releases rounded,
velvety, brown/ copper seeds

Months in Seed:
Summer – Fall

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

  • All plants start life as a seed.
  • The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
  • The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
  • After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
  • After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
  • When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
  • Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT