That is the oddest leaf I have ever seen. I've seen a lot of Hybiscus plants and never have I seen one with that kind of leaf. The flower color is gorgeous. You's think with a leaf like that it wouldn't be hard to identify it. poodle
I found a site that might be of interest to you. http://www.hotkey.net.au/~ganmor/howie/nomen.htm Click on 'intro' and scan to the bottom of the page, you'll see bloom and leaf types. The very last row has leaves that resemble yours. This might be a good place to start looking. Although your leaves have a deeper groove, plants can change and adapt. poodle
before it flowered i took a leaf to the police department to make sure it was not hemp or pot the leaves where smaller than but now are too big to be that and it sorta has burrs on the leaves and the flower looks way different pot is related to hibiscus so maybe its some sort of hybrid or maybe its a little known species of hibiscus.i have no clue
(before it flowered i took a leaf to the police department to make sure it was not hemp) ROFL!!! Yeah,that crossed my mind too. Burrs on the leaves?, you may just have a real oddity, where did you get it? Whatever your doing to it keep it up, that is one healthy looking plant! poodle P.S. Is your name mike or mikey?
either or. rarely do people call me michael. usually think i am in trouble when someone does even though i am 35 lol
Possibly Hibiscus radiatus. There is actually a species named H. cannabinus (kenaf) syn. Hibiscus sabdariffa due to its similar leaves--it is also a fiber plant. Not that closely related actually, Hibiscus is family Malvaceae in the Order Malvales, while Cannabis is in its own family, Cannabaceae in the Order Rosales. It is just a case of similar leaf shape. I will note though, that this plant is more likely to be mistaken for marijuana than say Acer palmatum. http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Hibiscus/galleryF.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis
I have been reading up on Hibiscus's and they are related to Althea's. I have had Althea's and I know for a fact they don't have burrs on their leaves, but Okra and Holly Hock's which I have had both of and which the Hibiscus is related to also, do have burrs or what you would consider prickly little hairs on their leaves. poodle
Yes Althaeas and hollyhocks are also Malvaceae, a family with many showy flowered members. The first link I placed in the last post was a page from a very nice site on the family. Here is the home page--loads of info and images of the plants. MALVACEAE INFO
I think you may be onto something Eric. Follow this link: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HIRA When you get there click on the green image of Florida and then click image and then click on the image. Looks very similar to mike's picture. poodle
The leaf looks like a Louisiana swamp hibiscus (hibiscus coccineus). I have one but the flower is different. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the link but it's too technical for me, most of it is going zooooom, right over my head! Only a true botanist could keep all that stuff straight. poodle
Hi, I just joined the forum today and was also looking for the exact same identification of my hibiscus. I have also attached pictures taken back this summer when it was in bloom. I thought the same exact thing - that the leaves looked like a pot plant!!! After mine finished blooming I also noticed that the stalks of the flower turned a very red color. I bought my hibiscus at an exotic plant and flower shop thinking it was just a regular hibiscus. What is the proper name for this species?
Thank you Mike, for the information. I went to the Wikipedia link that Mr La Fountaine provided and mine is very similar to the picture there. Another question is, can you subdivide this plant by the roots to grow more or how do you start new growth? I guess I kinda answered my own question but need more. I just went outside to look at my hibiscus and found there are dried pods with seeds inside so I assume I could try to start new ones from the seeds. Just do not know the specifics like, regular potting soil, how deep to plant, when to plant, should seeds be soaked before planting and things like that?
when i plant any hibiscus seed i place in the soil and just cover lightly and it depends on what i have mixed up as to the type of soil equal parts peat perlite and topsoil or soiless mix just peat and perlite. i have grown the texas star from cutting have not tried with the radianthus
Thank you again for the information. There is so much to learn here and such nice people with a world of knowledge. This is a great web site!!!! Should I try and plant a few of the seeds now or just wait until spring?
Hibiscus needs a long day to bloom. I have a few planted from October and they just sit in my greenhouse and don't grow. I use very little heat. I keep it just above freezing. My roses grow, and a lot of other plants grow but the hibiscus just seems to sit there.
i never did answer where i got it it was in a trade i had done i wanted one of the bush morning glories so sent some seeds of several different plants and got the bush morning glory an some other seeds and the radianthus was in them
