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Lagunaria
Also called Norfolk Island Hibiscus
Lagunaria is a genus of two Australian tree species, Lagunaria patersonia and Lagunaria queenslandica, commonly grown as ornamental trees, often called cow itch tree or Norfolk Island hibiscus. It is a hardy, salt-tolerant coastal tree that grows best in well-lit spots with well-drained soil.
Lagunaria is a genus in the family Malvaceae. It is an Australian plant which is native to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and parts of coastal Queensland. It has been introduced to many parts of the world. The genus was named for its resemblance to the earlier genus Laguna Cav., which was named in honour of Andrés Laguna, a Spanish botanist and a physician to Pope Julius III.
As of April 2021, Plants of the World Online accepts two species:
Lagunaria has been cultivated in many greenhouses around the world due to the beauty of its flower.
It has one known cultivar by the name of Lagunaria patersonia 'Royal Purple'. It is known to be grown along the coast of California and throughout some of the inland valleys. It can also be found in Britain.
Lagunaria is endemic to Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Queensland.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lagunaria 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.
