Crimson-eyed Rosemallow is a robust wetland herbaceous perennial native to most of Eastern North America up to New York. It is shrub-like, with multiple, unbranched stems 3-7′ in height. Large, single flowers occur in upper leaf axils, with delicate petals ranging from white to pink but always with a maroon “eye”. Individual flowers are only open a single day, but they continue to open daily for a long season and are followed by attractive seed capsules. Crimson-eyed Rosemallow grows well in full sun to partial shade and in soils ranging from upland garden soil to very wet. It can be pruned mid-season for a shorter flower display. It attracts long-tongued bees, hummingbirds and a variety of butterflies and moths to the garden.
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Hibiscus moscheutos ‘moscheutos’
Key Info
Scientific Name: Hibiscus moscheutos L. ssp. moscheutos
Common Names: Crimson-eyed Rosemallow, Marshmallow Hibiscus, Wild Cotton, Swamp Rosemallow, Eastern Rosemallow
Family Names: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Flower Color: White, Pink/rose
Special Characteristics: Attracts bees, Long blooming period, Attracts butterflies, Reported to be deer resistant., Attracts Hummingbirds, Tolerates wet conditions
Additional Info
Habit: Crimson-eyed Rosemallow has many smooth, round, sturdy, upright, unbranched stems emerging from a central woody crown (no basal rosette); this plant has a short underground caudex with large storage roots attached. Foliage texture is coarse.
Height: 3' to 6'
Spread: 4'
Soil Conditions: Average to wet, acid to circumneutral pH, sandy, loamy and clay soils.
Leaves: Alternately arranged, greyish green, 3-8-inch long x 4 inches wide, leaves with long, slender petioles, reddish veins, white undersides and toothed margins; ovate with pointy tip, either unlobed or with two pointed lobes. Leaf pubescence is variable across plants, but lower surface is more likely pubescent.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: The perfect flowers have five delicate petals 3-4 inches long and wide, white or pink with deep red at the base, widest at the flattish and slightly wavy tips. The prominent stamen column consists of a number of filaments fused into a single tube with multiple anthers along its length, surrounding a pistil of five fused styles which branch out to present the five stigmas. The flower is subtended by a beautiful row of 5 sepals and a row of linear bracts.
Fruit: The sepals of the flowers develop into a rounded, green 5-chambered seed pod which ripens into a brown, papery, short- beaked capsule which opens to release many small brown seeds, August to October.
Natural Distribution: Found near ponds and lakes, along rivers and streams, wet pastures and roadside ditches; also,.marshes and wetlands and salt scrub habitats.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: OBL
Pollination: Bees of various types.
Wildlife Connections: Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumble bees, specifically Rose Mallow Bee; Northern bobwhites, blue-winged teals, pintails, and wood ducks consume crimsoneyed rosemallow seeds; red-winged blackbirds nest in common rosemallow (FEIS database)
Propagation: Crimson-eyed Rosemallow grows easily from seed. However, insect seed predators will conslume many of the seeds, which should therefore be collected as soon as the capsule opens.
Southeastern Native Plant Nursery and Landscaping
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