Hibiscus pedunculatus flower

Hibiscus pedunculatus is a slender perennial belonging to the Malvaceae family. It has become popular in cultivation for its flowers. The plant is easily propagated from seed or cuttings, doing well in full sun or semi-shade with regular watering. The evergreen leaves are three-lobed and hairy.

The flowers grow solitary from leaf axils. The five obovate petals are spread in a shallow bowl shape, about 3 cm in diameter. Many stamens grow from the staminal column, erect in the flower centre. Four white stigmas can be seen at the top of the branched style, one for every carpel. Flowering comes late spring to autumn.

H. pedunculatus is found along the south and east coasts of South Africa, as well as inland in the eastern parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The habitat is thicket and forest margin, usually at low elevations (Manning, 2009).