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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Guide to Native Plants of Georgia for Wildlife < Hibiscus coccineus
The Scarlet Hibiscus is wonderfully beautiful—more importantly, it is cold-hardy to Zone 7! It succeeds in temperatures where other Hibiscus species—especially nonnatives—do not. It adds a touch of tropical to the temperate landscape with massive, brilliantly scarlet flowers. Each blossom can be over half a foot in diameter, and are borne profusely. Each lasts just a single day, during which they attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and are pleasant to look at or use in decorations. They do, however, require high levels of moisture. When sited properly, they provide crimson delight during most of the summer and fall.
Good companion plants include Lizard’s Tail, Pickerelweed, Arrowhead, Stoke’s Aster, Swamp Sunflower, Cardinal Flower, Wild Ageratum, Redroot, Pineland Hibiscus, Rose Mallow, and Halberd Hibiscus. It also pairs well with Titi, Longleaf Pine, and Atlantic Whitecedar. To enhance the tropical feel, plant with Cannas or cold-hardy native palms like the Sabal Palmetto, Dwarf Palmetto, Needle Palm, or Saw Palmetto.
Malvaceae (Mallow)
A slender, shrubby, herbaceous perennial. Leaves are palmate, with 3-7 narrow, lanceolate, shiny lobes with serrated margins. Flowers are 5-petaled, fluted, bright scarlet, and large (6-8” in diameter), lasting only a single day. Male and female reproductive parts are red and protrude prominently at the center, up to 3” long. Fruits are 1”, tan, dry, hard capsules, with hairy seeds. Plants die back for winter and re-sprout in spring.
2-7 feet tall and 3 feet wide
A slender, shrubby, herbaceous perennial with one or multiple stems
Fast
Full sun to partial sun
Scarlet Hibiscus prefers moist soil and tolerates flooding. Established plants will survive in drier, “normal” soils without supplemental irrigation. However, flowering will be compromised without access to abundant supplies of water. Cut plants down in fall after they die back.
The primary asset of Scarlet Hibiscus is the huge red flowers, which lend a tropical feeling to landscapes. It is eye-catching up close or from long distances. It also attracts hummingbirds, which in themselves are a delight to have.
Use Scarlet Hibiscus as an integral component of the hummingbird garden, or to enhance the tropical appeal of the landscape. It works well with palms near pools for recreational enjoyment, or near ponds, streams, or in wet spots. Group plantings of 3 or more work better than single specimens.
The flowers of Scarlet Hibiscus provide large quantities of nectar to hummingbirds like the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Planting more than one along with Cardinal Flower, Beebalms, Trumpet Creeper, and Crossvine (latter two preferring drier sites near trees) nearby will ensure that hummers nest nearby. The blooms also attract butterflies and Emphorine bees like the Mallow Bee. The leaves, flower buds, and seeds are food sources for the caterpillars of the Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady, and Checkered Skipper butterflies. The larvae of the Pearly Wood Nymph moth also feed upon the foliage. Deer and livestock will browse the non-toxic foliage preferentially over nonnative Hibiscus species.
Native to the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Texas east to Florida and north to the Carolinas and Virginia. Favored habitats include marshes, ditches, wet roadsides, swamps, pocosins, pine savannahs, and coastal locations.
Scarified seeds, root division
Also known as Scarlet Hibiscus,
Texas Star Hibiscus,
Scarlet Rosemallow,
Wild Red Mallow
Written by Kevin Tarner, Georgia Wildlife Federation
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