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Hibiscus tilliaceus - L.

Common Name Beach Hibiscus, Sea Hibiscus
Family Malvaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Coastal swamps; edges of mangrove swamps
Range Origin: Pantropical. native to coastal areas of Australia, South East Asia and the South Pacific
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Frost Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Wet Soil Full sun
Hibiscus tilliaceus Beach Hibiscus, Sea Hibiscus


Raffi Kojian Gardenology.org
Hibiscus tilliaceus Beach Hibiscus, Sea Hibiscus

 

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Summary

Suited to coastal environments as it tolerates salinity and waterlogging. Carbon Farming Solutions - Industrial Crop: biomass, fiber. Agroforestry Services: living fence, crop shade, living trellis.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Hibiscus tilliaceus is an evergreen Tree growing to 8 m (26ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. The flowers are pollinated by Insects.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry moist or wet soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Hibiscus boninensis Nakai. Hibiscus tiliifolius Salisb. Hibiscus circinnatus Willd.Hibiscus porophyllus Vell. Hibiscus tortuosus Roxb. Pariti boninense (Nakai) Nakai. Pariti tiliaceum (L.) A. St.-Hil. Paritium abutiloides (Willd.) G. Don. Paritium tiliaceum (L.) A. Juss.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves
Edible Uses:

Young leaves and green bark eaten as a famine food. Leaves are eaten, femented into a sauce, used as a substrate for tempeh starter culture or boiled in salt water to form a beverage called Onge tea [183]. The flowers can be eaten as a potherb or dipped in batter and fried [183].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


Flowers have laxative properties.

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

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Other Uses

Design: Seaside; Coastal screening; Shade tree; Coastal street tree; Low maintenance garden, Container growing, Flower garden, Sand stabilization; Xerophytic, Bonsai,. Polynesians have used the wood for outriggers and canoes. Green bark used for dance skirts, strainers for liquids, and for tapa bark cloth. Used for rope and fishing nets. A soft, heavy and porous wood used for fuel and net floats or corks. Living posts with cropping potential for the bark. Hedging. Beach erosion. Coastal rehabilitation. Carbon Farming Solutions - Industrial Crop: biomass, fiber (Crops grown for non-food uses. Industrial crops provide resources in three main categories: materials, chemicals, and energy. Traditional materials include lumber and thatch, paper and cardboard, and textiles) [1-1]. Agroforestry Services: living fence, crop shade, living trellis.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Agroforestry Services: Living trellis  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Coppice  Minor Global Crop

Climate: subtropical to tropical. Humidity: humid. Sea Hibiscus is suited to coastal environments. It tolerates salinity and waterlogging, and can grow in a variety of coastal sands and soils. pH Level: Acid, Neutral, Alkaline. Soil Type: Sandy, Loamy, Sandy loam. Light: Sunny, Light shade. Soil Moisture: Well-drained, Moist soil. Tolerates light frost. Found at elevations from sea level to 800m (2,600ft) in areas that receive 900–2,500mm (35–98in) of annual rainfall. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: coppice (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Plants providing crop shade especially trees.
  • Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
  • Agroforestry Services: Living trellis  Plants to physically support other crops.
  • Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
  • Industrial Crop: Fiber  Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!
  • Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seeds. Large cuttings

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Cotton Tree, Native Rosella

Native Range

Coming Soon

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

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Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
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Hibiscus cannabinusKenaf, Brown IndianhempAnnual/Perennial1.8 6-12 FLMHNM423
Hibiscus diversifoliusSwamp HibiscusShrub1.0 9-11  LMHNM21 
Hibiscus heterophyllusNative RosellaShrub1.8 9-11  LMHNM201
Hibiscus moscheutosSwamp Rose Mallow, Crimsoneyed rosemallow, Wild Cotton, Common Rosemallow, Eastern Rosemallow, SwampPerennial2.5 6-9 MLMHSNM12 
Hibiscus mutabilisCotton Rose, Dixie rosemallowShrub3.0 7-10  LMHNM221
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Hibiscus rosa-sinensisChinese Hibiscus, Shoeblackplant, Hawaiian Hibiscus, Tropical Hibiscus, China Rose, Rose-of-China, SShrub2.5 9-11 FLMHNM333
Hibiscus sabdariffaRoselleAnnual/Perennial3.0 9-12  LMHNM332
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Hibiscus trionumFlower Of An HourAnnual/Perennial0.6 9-11 FLMHNDM210
Talipariti tiliaceumBeach Hibiscus, Sea Hibiscus, Cottontree, MahoeTree10.0 10-12 FLMHNMWe324

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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