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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 Information
Classification Button
Maintenance
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Plant ID
Life Cycle

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia
Mackenzie

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  • 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 Other Pollinators
Specialist: Rose-mallow Bee
Hummingbirds Other Birds
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
LEAF DESCRIPTION

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Leaf Characteristics Chart (JPG)
Shape:
Deltoid to heart-shaped
Margin:
Entire/Smooth
Arrangement:
Alternate
Form:
Simple
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

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

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Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
Color:
White, red, pink
Shape:
Funnelform
Bloom Months:
Mar – Sep
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
SEED DESCRIPTION

Flickr
Dani Tinker

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Type:
Fruit –
Dry Seed Pod
Description:
fruit is dry, hairy capsule that releases rounded, velvety, brown/ copper seeds
Months in Seed:
Summer – Fall
Plant spreads by:
Seeds


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
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)
QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)
Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF
Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc
Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF
Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc


INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Logo
Missouri Botanical Gardens Logo 2019
Alabama Plant Atlas Logo