Hibiscus mutabilis L.

Hibiscus species are herbs, undershrubs or shrubs. Stems woody, branches densely or sparsely pubescent or tomentose with simple, scabrid or stellate hairs or glabrous. Leaves simple, palmilobed or palmiparted, alternate, midrib usually with obscure nectarines, 3 or more basal veins, margins crenate-dentate or entire, apex acute to acuminate, petiolate, stipules linear, subulate, ovate or foliaceous. Inflorescence usually axillary or terminal, solitary or racemes or lax panicles, by the reduction of the upper leaves. Flowers bisexual, pedicel slender, epicalyx 3 or more, base connate, rarely absent, calyx 5 lobed, distinctly nerved, campanulate, base connate, valvate, sometimes with nectarines, persistent, corolla showy and large, yellow, white, orange, purple, red, blue and dark colored at the base, campanulate or cylindric. Staminal column usually shorter or almost as long petals, base wide, filaments apex truncate or 5-dentate, anthers basifixed, throughout or in the upper half. Ovary superior, 5 locular, rarely up to 10 locular, axile placentation, ovules 3 or more per locule, style 1 or 5 branched distally, stigma discoid, capitate or not distinct. Fruit capsule, globose-cylindrical, apex apiculate, acute or acuminate, dehiscing loculicidally, glabrous or hairy. Seed many, reniform or subglobose, smooth, glabrous or hairy.

Shrub/ Small tree

Flowering & Fruiting: September-December

Hibiscus species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: September—January.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Bushy shrubs or small trees, about 2-6 m tall. Stems woody, branchlets densely pubescent with stellate hairs, intermixed with wooly pubescent simple copious glandular hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular, about 10-22 x 9-23 cm across, base cordate, 7-11 veined, midrib usually with obscure nectarines, 3-7 lobed palmately, margins irregularly crenate or coarsely dentate, lobe apex acute to acuminate, chartaceous, glabrate or sparsely pubescent above and densely stellate pubescent beneath, petiole tomentose, about 5-15 cm long, stipules linear lanceolate, tomentose, about 5-9 mm long. Inflorescence usually axillary, solitary or subcorymbose at the terminal by the reduction of the upper leaves. Flowers bisexual, about 5-10 cm across, pedicel slender, joint below about 1-2 cm of the flower, epicalyx 8-12, linear lanceolate, base connate, apex forked with one leaf lobe, bend down, spreading ultimately, about 2-2.5 x 1-2 mm long, calyx 5 lobed, distinctly nerved, campanulate, lobes broadly lanceolate, base connate till middle, apex acute to acuminate, valvate, hairy near the base, stellate pubescent outside, inside long hairy, margins stellate hairy, persistent, corolla showy and large, yellow, white, pinkish, campanulate, petal 5 or multiples of 5, suborbicular, shortly clawed, about 6-8 cm long. Staminal column usually shorter or almost as long petals, base wide, filaments apex truncate or 5-dentate, anthers basifixed, throughout. Ovary superior, 5 locular, about 6 mm long, axile placentation. Fruit capsule, globose-cylindrical, about 2.5 cm across, apex somewhat emarginate, dehiscing loculicidally, with dense stellate pubescent intermixed with long setose and simple glandular hairs. Seeds reniform or subglobose, about 2 mm across, covered with simple long hairs, brownish.

Deciduous shrubs, 2-6 m tall, treelets; young portion densely stellate-hairy intermixed with copious simple glandular hairs. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; stipules ca. 5-8 mm, linear, lanceolate, tomentose, caducous; petioles ca. 5-20 cm long; lamina ca. 10-22 cm in diam., suborbicular, cordate, palmately 3-7-lobed, lobes triangular, shallowly cordate-truncate at base, acute or long acuminate at apex, coarsely dentate or irregularly crenate, chartaceous, abaxially densely stellate minutely tomentose, adaxially sparsely stellate minutely hairy, lobes triangular, secondary nerves 7-11 pairs. Flowers axillary, solitary or subcorymbose at tip; pedicels ca. 6-12 cm long, jointed 1-2 cm below flower; Epicalyx segments 8-12, ca. 2-2.5 x 1-2 mm, linear-lanceolate, bend downwards initially, ultimately spreading; calyx lobes connate up to middle, lobes ca. 3-4 x 1 cm, accrescent, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, densely stellate-pubescent with glandular hairs outside, densely stellate-hairy along margins inside, central and basal portion of inner surface long simple hairy, 5-nerved, yellowish-green; petals 5 or multiples of 5, ca. 6-8 cm long, suborbicular, shortly clawed, sparsely stellate-hairy outside, glabrous inside with long stellate hairs at base; staminal column shorter than corolla, yellowish white, antheriferous throughout; ovary ca. 6 mm long, roundish-truncate with white silky hairs, 5-locular, ovules many in each locule. Capsules ca. 2.5 cm long, subglobose, more or less emarginate, densely stellate-pubescent intermixed with simple glandular and long setose hairs. Seeds numerous, ca. 2-2.5 mm long, dark brown, reniform, dorsal and lateral sides with spreading, simple to 6 branched, up to 2 mm long hairs.

Hibiscus species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Cultivated as ornamental. Native of China

Cultivated in gardens, altitude up to 600 m.

Cultivated

Throughout Assam

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Native of China, cultivated in gardens as ornamental, stem yields inferior quality fiber.

The stem yields a fibre of inferior quality.

Leaves and flowers are reported to be of medicinal value. The flowers are used as a remedy of the chest diseases and leaves are applied to swellings.