Edible Scarlet Rose Mallow (Hibiscus coccineus) Attracts Pollinators

Summary: Edible scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus), a New World native flowering plant, attracts pollinators.

scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus): Charles T. Bryson/USDA Agricultural Research Service/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, via Forestry Images

Edible scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus) is a New World native perennial with elegantly pointed, serrated green leaflets and large scarlet flowers that attracts pollination by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Scarlet rose mallow’s nectar attracts pollinating hummingbirds and insects. The Rose-mallow Bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis), a New World insect claiming nativity in eastern North America, specializes in pollinating only scarlet rose mallow and other species in the Hibiscus genus.

Hummingbirds are flower specialists, looking for specific floral traits. As hummingbird specialists, Hibiscus species balance hummingbirds’ floral specificities regarding such features as flower color, fragrance, nectar content and flower shape.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) migrate from winter homes in Central America to eastern North America for summer breeding. The color red is a strong attractor to hummingbirds. In addition to the allure of usually scarlet flowers, scarlet rose mallow deepens its attractiveness to ruby-throated hummingbirds by an absence of fragrance. Floral scent is not a major attractor for ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Butterflies that select scarlet rose mallow and other Hibiscus species as nectar sources include gray hairstreaks (Strymon melinus) and painted ladies (Vanessa spp.). Hibiscus plants, including scarlet rose mallow, serve as host plants for the egg and caterpillar stages of gray hairstreak and painted lady butterflies.

Scarlet rose mallow occurs natively in the New World in nine states in the southeastern United States. Native homelands range from Florida northeastward to Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and northwestward through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Hibiscus coccineus traces large outlines that make the perennial stand out in private, public and wild landscapes. Large, showy flowers decorate tall stems that measure heights of 3 to 8 feet (0.91 to 2.43 meters). Large leaves of usually five leaflets have alternate arrangements along the stem.

Scarlet rose mallow’s usual floral coloring is scarlet. ‘Alba’ and ‘Lord Baltimore’ varieties present pure white and red flowers, respectively. The colorful flowers brighten salads and produce an antioxidant-rich, sour or tart tasting tea that popularly teams with cinnamon or ginger.

Psychotherapist and American Herbalist Guild-registered herbalist Holli Richey, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, describes scarlet rose mallow’s leaves as edible, but less “palatable” than rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus). Rose of Sharon is an Old World native that was introduced into the United States by the 18th century.

Scarlet rose mallow’s leaflets may join its flowers in fresh salads. The leaflets also may be boiled as greens or cooked in quiches.

Scarlet rose mallow's fruit is edible. The fruit is a dry, elongated, five-chambered seedpod. Young, green seedpods turn brown with maturity.

In addition to culinary uses, therapeutic remedies feature scarlet rose mallow. Holli Richey points out that scarlet rose mallow’s flower buds contain mucilage. The thick, gluey substance has healing properties that treat burns and wounds as well as such internal problems as gastric ulcers, sore throats and urinary tract infections.

Hibiscus coccineus is more than a showy ornamental in private, public and wild landscapes. Scarlet rose mallow is a pretty edible, with culinary uses especially for flowers, leaves and seedpods. Edible scarlet rose mallow also is an important nectar source for pollinators and a desirable host plant for butterfly eggs and larvae.

Plantings of Hibiscus coccineus combine visual appeal with pollinator allure.

museum specimens of scarlet rose mallow's seeds and calyx with subtended fruit, Jardin botanique Henri Gaussen (Henri Gaussen Botanical Garden), Toulouse, Haute-Garonne Department, southwestern France: Ercé, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

scarlet rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus): Charles T. Bryson/USDA Agricultural Research Service/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, via Forestry Images @ https://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1116136

museum specimens of scarlet rose mallow’s seeds and calyx with subtended fruit, Jardin botanique Henri Gaussen (Henri Gaussen Botanical Garden), Toulouse, Haute-Garonne Department, southwestern France: Ercé, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hibiscus_coccineus_MHNT.BOT.2012.10.19.JPG

For further information:

Barnes, Thomas G. “Hummingbirds: An Attractive Asset to Your Garden.” University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment > Agricultural Communications Service > Online Publications.
Available @ http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/for/for97/for97.htm

Donatello, Sally W. “Native Hibiscus: An Edible Jewel in my Garden.” Lens and Pens by Sally > Yearly Archives: 2012. Sept. 26, 2012.
Available @ https://lensandpensbysally.wordpress.com/about/

“Hibiscus coccineus Scarlet rose mallow.” New Moon Nursery LLC > Plant List.
Available @ http://www.newmoonnursery.com/plant/Hibiscus-coccineus

Knox, Gary W., and Rick Schoellhorn. “Hardy Hibiscus for Florida Landscapes.” University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension/Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS). October 2005. Last reviewed February 2014.
Available @ http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep245

Ley, Elizabeth L.; Stephen Buchmann; Gary Kauffman; Katherine McGuire. Selecting Plants for Pollinators: A Regional Guide for Farmers, Land Managers, and Gardeners in the Outer Coastal Plain Mixed Province. Pollinator Partnership > PDFs > Outer Coastal.
Available @ http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/OuterCoastal.rx5.pdf

Marriner, Derdriu. “Scarlet Rose Mallow (Hibiscus coccineus) Has Showy Scarlet Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, July 2, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/07/scarlet-rose-mallow-hibiscus-coccineus.html

“Plants for Butterfly Gardens.” Maple Street Natives > Butterfly Gardens.
Available @ http://www.maplestreetnatives.com/bgardens.htm

Richey, Holli. “Eat your rose of Sharon, hibiscus, hollyhocks.” Athens Banner-Herald > Urban Forager. July 25, 2010.
Available @ http://onlineathens.com/stories/072510/liv_682592937.shtml#.V9glavkrLcs

Simpson, Melissa. “Ptilothrix bombiformis, the Rose-mallow Bee.” USDA Forest Service > Wildflowers > Pollinators > Pollinator-of-the-month.
Available @ http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/rosemallowbee.shtml

Smith, Joe. “Flower Specialist.” Smithsonian National Zoological Park > Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute > Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center > Featured Birds. Nov. 1, 2009.
Available @ https://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/featured_birds/?id=311