Scarlet Rosemallow

Hibiscus coccineus

Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Malvaceae
Genus:
Hibiscus
Species:
Hibiscus coccineus

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Forb/herb
Height:
8-12 ft
Light Requirements:
Full Sun
Drought Tolerance:
High
Bloom Months:
jul, aug, sep
Bloom Colors:
Red

Native Range

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:
★★★☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Reported Fauna Sightings

Butterflies:Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), (Pieris rapae), (Pieris rapae), Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae), Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris), Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris), Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas), Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus), Field Skipper (Atalopedes campestris), Field Skipper (Atalopedes campestris), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor), Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor), Little Glassywing (Vernia verna), Little Glassywing (Vernia verna), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), Peck's Skipper (Polites coras), Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), Red-Spotted Purple (astyanax) (Limenitis arthemis), Red-Spotted Purple (astyanax) (Limenitis arthemis), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe), Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe), Southern Broken-Dash (Polites otho), Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon), Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
moist, rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:
5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:
tolerates poor drainage
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
Thrives in wetland areas and along streams.

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Single-step cold-moist stratification for temperate woodland species. for 60–120 days

Source: OpenAI GPT-4o