Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.

Habit: Erect glabrescent shrub

Family Description

Herbs,shrubs,trees or climber; indumentum usually stellate; stems often fibrous. Leaves alternate, simple or lobed, usually palmately 3-7-veined from base, sometimes pinnately veined; stipulate. Monoecious, rarely dioecious; flowers axillary, solitary, or in 2-many-flowered, terminalor axillary racemes or panicles, bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic; usually subtended by an epicalyx of 3-many, free or connate, segments. Calyx of 4(-5)+/-connate sepals;epicalyx present or absent.Petals 5,free, adnate to base of staminal column.Stamens with filaments united around style into staminal column, bearing pollen throughout or divided at apex into numerous filaments or 5-many-branches.Ovary superior,2-many-celled;style simple or 2-many branched.Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent,rarely indehiscent capsule, or schizocarpic, consisting of 5-many mericarps around a central columella.

Genus Description

Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves palmetely or pinnately veined. Stipules deciduous or not. Flowers bisexual, axillary, solitary or in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles, pedicels jointed. Epicalyx segments 5-15, rarely absent, linear to ovate, free or connate below middle. Staminal column pollen bearing throughout or above middle only. Ovary 5-celled; style 5-branched above, stigma capitate. Fruit 5-valved, loculicidally dehiscent; seeds glabrous or wolly, 3-many per valve.

Species description

Erect glabrescent shrub to 2m. Leaves unlobed, ovate, 3-12x2-8cm, acute, base rounded, margins regularly serrate. Epicalyx segments 6-10, lanceolate, +/- free, half as long calyx. Flowers large, showly; petals usually scarlet, 4-6cm. Staminal column long-exserted, pollen-bearing in upper half only.