Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Description
Hibiscus syriacus is a hardy deciduous shrub. It is upright and vase-shaped, reaching 2-4 m (7-13 ft) in height, bearing large trumpet-shaped flowers with prominent yellow-tipped white stamens. The flowers are often pink in color, but can also be dark pink (almost purple), light pink or white. Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting only a day. However, numerous buds are produced on the shrub's new growth, and this provides prolific flowering over a long summer blooming period. Rose of Sharon is a common name that has been applied to several different species of flowering plants that are valued in different parts of the world. Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae. It is native south-central and southeast China, but widely introduced elsewhere, including much of Asia. It was given the epithet syriacus because it had been collected from gardens in Syria. Common names include rose of Sharon (especially in North America), Syrian ketmia or rose mallow (United Kingdom), St Joseph's rod (Italy) and rosa de Sharon (Brazil). The branches are thin and gray, white-lenticeled, with raised leaf scars and small buds. Stems and branches do not branch very much unless pruned, resulting in many long, straight stems that originate from about 0.5–1.5" above the ground that give rise to the shrub's overall vase shape. The leaves are usually green or yellowish green autumn color, alternate, broadly ovate, palmately veined, 3" long leaves. They have 3 distinct lobes with coarsely-toothed margin that create no color in the fall. The trunks are white-gray and relatively smooth, and the branching is very near to the ground unless limbed up into tree form.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malvales
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Family: Malvaceae
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Genus: Hibiscus
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