s 
Rose Mallow (Hibiscus Moscheutos) is a tall, leafy 
perennial, bearing flowers that easily rank as being 
among the largest and most beautiful of any of our 
wild flowers. The stem is quite stout and inclined to be 
hairy. The large leaves are ovate-pointed and toothed; 
they are stemmed, and alternate along the main plant 
stalk. The lower ones are often three-lobed. 
The flowers grow on short stems at the end of the 
upright stalk. But one usually blooms at a time and 
there are not a great many buds; what they lack in 
profusion of bloom, this species fully makes up in size, 
for its blossoms measure four to six inches across. The 
five, large petals, are a delicate rose color, conspicu¬ 
ously veined, and often with crimson bases. The long, 
slender pistil divides at the tip, into five flat-headed 
stigmas; for more than half its length, it is encased 
in the long stamen column, the sides of which are 
covered with yellow anthers. 
The Rose Mallow grows in swamps and marshes near 
the coast, from Mass, southwards, and along the shores 
of the Great Lakes to Mich. It blooms from July to 
September. 
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