HIBISCUS 



HIBISCUS 



743 



nearly or quite glabrous above, the long petiole often 

 joined to the peduncle: involucre bracts linear, nearly 

 or quite as long as the toiueutose calyx: fis. very large 

 (4-7-8 in. broad), light rose-color (or white in var. 

 rtZ&?/s), with a purple eye: capsule glabrous. Marshes 

 along the coast from Mass. to Pla. and west to L. Michi- 

 gan. B.M. 882. B.R. 17:1<163; 33:7. Mn. 2:161. Gng. 

 2:227. H. rdseus. There, of Europe, a rose-colored 

 form, is considered to be a naturalized form of this 

 American species. R.H. 1879:10. — One of the best of 

 the Marsh Mallows, thriving in any good garden soil. Of 

 easiest culture and perfectly hardy. Blooms in Aug. 

 and Sept. The foliage is strong and effective. The 

 most generally cultivated of the hardy herbaceous 

 kinds. The form known as Crimson Eye (clear white 

 with a crimson center) was introduced 1894 by Wm. P 

 Bassett & Son. It was found in a swamp in New Jersey. 

 There is some question, however, as to whether it is 

 specifically the same as H. Mosclientos, The tls. are 

 pure white (except the center), expand wide, and the 

 Ivs. are bronze-tinted. The carpels are more attenuate. 



10. inc4nu3, Wendl. Much like R. Moscheutos, and 

 sometimes passing for it in the trade: Ivs. smaller and 

 narrower, ovate-lanceolate, not lobed, serrate-toothed: 

 fls. sulfur-yellow, with acrimson eye. S. Car. and south. 

 — Seems to be hardy in the North with a mulch protec- 

 tion. 



11. Califdrnicus, Kell. Strong growing, 5 ft., the stem 

 terete or slightly grooved above, more or less pubes- 

 cent: Ivs. distinctly cordate, ovate, shallow-toothed and 

 not lobed, dull ashy gray beneath : involucre bracts 

 hairy: corolla white or rose, with a purple eye, 3-5 in. 

 across : capsule pubescent. Calif. — Gray regards this 

 as a form of S. lasiocarpus, Cav. (var. occidentdlis, 

 Gray). A portrait of IT. lasioenrpun will be found in 

 G.P. 1:420. Although the namefi". Califoniieiis is com- 

 mon in the trade, it is a question how much of the stock, 

 if any, is this species. Certainly some of it is IT. Mos- 

 cheutos. From IT. Mosclientos this species is told by its 

 cordate ashy-tomentose Ivs. and hairy-ciliate involucre 

 bracts. The plant known to the trade as H. Californi- 

 cifs is hardy. 



00. Ia'S. strongly lobed. 



12. grandiflorus, Michx. Tall and stout (3-8 ft.), the 

 terete reddish stem becoming glabrous: Ivs. large, 3- 

 lobed, the lobes ovate-acuminate or ovate-oblong-acu- 

 minate, the side ones widely spreading, blunt-toothed 

 or even again lobed : fls. very large (0-8 in. across), 

 white or rose, with deeper eye. Ga., Fla. west. — Aside 

 from the large fls. and lobed Ivs., this is very like IT. 

 Moxcheiifos. It is doubtful if the true B. grandiflorus 

 is in the trade. 



AAA. Shrubs, hardy in the North {or in the middle 

 states). 



13. Syria,cu8, hinn. (Althwa fri<tex,llort. ). Shrubby 

 Althea. Rose of Sharon. Pigs. 1050, 1057. Shrub, 

 6-12 ft. high, much branched, nearly or quite glabrous: 



Ivs. rather small, short-petioled, 

 strongly 3-ribbed, triangular- or 

 rhombic-ovate, mostly 3-lobed 

 and with many rounded teeth or 

 notches: tls, solitary in the axils 

 on the young wood (late in the 

 season), somewhat bell-shaped, 

 2-3 in. long, rose or purple, usu- 

 ally darker at the base : pod 

 short, splitting into 5 valves. 

 Asia. B.M. 83. R.H. 1845:133 

 (var. spec/o5HS, with double fls.). 

 — One of the commonest of orna- 

 mental shrubs, and hardy in On- 

 tario. It is immensely variable in 

 character of fls., the colors rang- 

 ing from blue-purple to violet- 

 red, flesh color and white; also 

 full double forms. There are 

 forms with variegated Ivs. Col- 

 ored plates of some of the double-fld. forms will be 

 found in Gn. 52:1150. The species thrives in any good 

 soil. Prop, by seeds, by cuttings of ripened wood taken 

 in the fall, and named vars. by grafting on the common 



seedling stock. Nativity uncertain, but probably not 

 Syrian, as Linnseus supposed : probably native in 

 China. To this species belong such trade names as 

 IT. pnrpureus, IT. specidsus ritber. TT. rannncnUeflbrus. 

 IT. totus dlbus, IT. Leopoldii, TT. pa^onifldrns, IT. cceUs- 

 tis, IT. violdceus, IT. anemonwfldrus, IT. atrdrubens, 

 IT. bicolor, H. camellcefldrtis. TT. elegantlssimus, etc. 



14. Ham&bo, Sieb. & Zucc. A Japanese species offered 

 by importers but not yet tested in this country, and 

 probably not hardy south of the southern-middle states : 

 0-10 ft. high, closely pubescent: Ivs. roundish, with an 

 abrupt short point, irregularly shallowly toothed, white 



1056. Capsule 

 of Hibiscus Syriacus. 



1057. Hibiscus Syriacus (X K). 



tomentose: involucre of scales united at the base: fls. 

 solitary in the upper axils, large, yellow, with a darker 

 base. 



aaaa. Shrubs of glasshouses, or permanently planted 

 out in the far South. 

 B. Lvs. hoary beneath. 

 15. eiatus, Swartz (PfnvV/HiH (!^)^i()H, G. Don). Moun- 

 tain Mahoe. a West Indian tree, now introduced in 

 S. Calif.: Ivs. round-cordate, short-cuspidate, entire; 



