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The changing leaf shapes as the plant matures is interesting and it threw me off on IDing them!
At least now I know that they do this, and now have 3 distinct leaf shapes on the same plant!
Thanks Maggie!
Beautiful Ron and your right its not a texas star. That looks more like the southern belle hibiscus to me. Of course I've been wrong on many occaisions.
Leaves are like the Texas Star!
Flower size is around 8" to 9"s
Has to be a hybrid!
But, which one!
I'm looking for the zone hardiness?
My sister collected the seeds when she was staying in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
...did search....
Darn, zone 7! That doesn't answer whether its hardy in my zone 5/6!
Looks like Lady Baltimore, except that the petals are more on the white side....could be a variation of Kopper King except that the leaves are green with a faint touch of a reddish tint!
Kopper King is hardy to zone 5 so I'm hoping they will survive this winter!
I'll stow 1 or 2 of them in the pump room...I keep the minimum temp during the winter at 40F! So I should have any problem with wintering them over.
The other three I will plant in the garden, in the next couple of weeks, and mulch them once the ground freezes!
I'll be a fun experiment!
If they do survive the winter in the garden then I can go ahead and sell them as winter hardy next year!
Hoping they produce seed this fall so I can start new ones next spring!
Just remember that they are very, very slow to come up. I almost gave up on mine this year...and seeing as you are much further north than me, don't give up until at least June.
Jade
I have one of the Disco series, and yes, it does take a long time to sprout in the spring.
It was the second week of May that it started to push up through the mulch!
I've had one of the Southern Belle when I was in the city, but had to stay clear of the taller cultivars because of the high winds we get off the lake during the growing season!
Ron, could this be the plant. I found this on wikipedia.
Halberd-leaf Rosemallow (Hibiscus laevis, syn. Hibiscus militaris) is a herbaceous perennial flower native to central and eastern North America. Their showy, creamy-white or pink flowers are large, up to 15 cm, and are hard to miss. These flowers require exposure to sunlight to open up properly, and then last only a single day.
The unbranched stems of this plant are round and hairless, frequently growing to 2 m tall and sometimes taller. The root system includes a taproot.
The hairless leaves are alternate, 7-15 cm long, divided into 3-5 pointed lobes (cleft) and have serrate or crenate edges. They are simple and pointed at the tip. The leaves with three lobes resemble a medieval halberd because the middle lobe is much larger than the two side lobes. The five-lobed leaves also look like halberds or daggers.
Flowers are solitary or occur in small clusters at the tops of the upper stems. They are fairly large, with a diameter of about 15 cm when fully open. They are mostly white or light pink, but the inside throat of the flower is often maroon or a rich purplish pink color. Each flower has five petals with five hairless green sepals below. There are numerous stamens, all attached to a central column. The pistils have superior ovaries and five stigmas protruding from the central column in the flower. The fruit is an ovoid capsule containing many seeds.
The blooming period can occur from mid-summer to early fall (June to September) and lasts about a month. Each flower lasts only a single day. This plant spreads by reseeding itself. The stalks die down in the winter and grow back in the spring.
This plant prefers full or partial sun and moist conditions. It can grow in sand or clay with sufficient moisture, and can tolerate poor drainage. They are frequently found along streams, ponds and lakes and in marshy areas, roadside ditches, and sometimes in shallow standing water.
The seeds of this plant are eaten by waterfowl and Bobwhite quail
Thanks for the research Maggie!
Mine are branched.
Flowers are single along the stem, and not in clusters like you see on Southern Belle and Disco!
Leaves are hairless, as are the stems and have a glossy sheen. Some of the upper leaves are developing a reddish tint now that they are mature especially along the veins!
They do look like Halberd-leaf Rosemallow and are hardy to -13F!
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