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Tropical rose mallow

Hibiscus vitifolius

Also called Tropical Fanleaf

Tropical rose mallow
Photo: SAplants, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hibiscus vitifolius, the grape-leaved or tropical rose mallow, is a stiff, erect herb or shrub from the Old World tropics that grows up to about 2 m and becomes woody with age. It is a common weedy plant in cultivated land and is grown as a fiber source, not usually as an ornamental.

Family
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly during the growing season and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile soil or garden loam.
Temperature
18–35 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Native range
Trop. & Subtrop. Old World
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Hibiscus vitifolius, the grape-leaved mallow or tropical rose mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to the seasonally dry Old World tropics and subtropics, and has been introduced to the West indies. A perennial herb reaching 2 m (6 ft) and becoming woody at maturity, it is found in a wide variety of habitats, and is a weed of cultivation. It is used locally as a source of fiber, often mixed with jute.

Where it grows

Hibiscus vitifolius is native to tropical parts of Africa, the Middle East, India and southeastern Asia. It has been introduced to most of the islands of the Caribbean.

Other Hibiscus plants

Alyogyne hakeifolia · Alyogyne huegelii · African rosemallow · Kenaf · Scarlet rosemallow · Desert rosemallow · Paleface · Philip Island hibiscus · Hibiscus · Heartleaf rosemallow · Muenchhusia moscheutos · Dixie rosemallow

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hibiscus vitifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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