Hibiscus hamabo

Japanese name: ハマボウ （浜朴、黄槿）
Scientific name: Hibiscus hamabo

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub or small tree 1–2 m tall, found on sandy and muddy ground along coasts and at river mouths.
It is a halophyte.
The whole plant is densely covered with gray stellate hairs.
It branches freely.
The leaves are simple and alternate, 4–7 cm long and 3–6 cm wide, round to broadly ovate, thick, with fine blunt teeth on the margin.
The undersides of the leaves are densely covered with stellate hairs and look grayish white.
The petiole is 1–2 cm long.
The stipules fall early and are triangular-ovate, about 1 cm long.
The flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils in the upper part of the branches; they are yellow, 5-petaled, 5 cm across, with a dark crimson center.
The staminal column does not protrude beyond the flower.
The flowers open in the morning and wither by evening, lasting only one day.
The fruit is an ovoid capsule 2.8–3.5 cm long, densely covered with brown bristles.
The seeds are carried by ocean currents.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny site.
For potted plants and for plants in the ground less than 2 years old, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
For established plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
For young plants and potted plants, apply organic fertilizer around the plant in winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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