Bloomipedia
Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis)
Photo: j_osborn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flowering shrub

Tropical hibiscus

Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis

Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis) is a shrub in the Malvaceae family.

🌷 Flowering shrub

Tropical hibiscus is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 46 states.

–states where USDA records it
46Bloomipedia state lists include it
7U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Quick look

Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis is a cultigen of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibiscus genus and Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae.

  • It belongs to the Malvaceae family. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #133 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #171 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #108 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Not enough flowering records on iNaturalist to chart yet.

Bloom time in the 46 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
Florida🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
Georgia🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
Hawaii🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
North Carolina🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
Rhode Island🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
South Carolina🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
Texas🌷 Gardenno flowering records1
New Hampshire🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Alabama🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Arkansas🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Arizona🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
California🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Colorado🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Connecticut🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Delaware🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Iowa🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Illinois🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Indiana🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Kansas🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Kentucky🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Louisiana🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Massachusetts🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Maryland🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Maine🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Michigan🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Minnesota🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Missouri🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Mississippi🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Nebraska🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
New Jersey🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
New Mexico🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Nevada🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
New York🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Ohio🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Oklahoma🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Oregon🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Pennsylvania🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
South Dakota🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Tennessee🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Utah🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Virginia🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Vermont🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Washington🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Wisconsin🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
West Virginia🌷 Gardenno flowering records0
Wyoming🌷 Gardenno flowering records0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe
Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe
Florida
n/a Florida's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. FAC 5B-40.0055
Georgia
n/a Georgia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09
Hawaii
n/a Hawaii's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. HAR 13-107
North Carolina
n/a North Carolina's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 02 NCAC 48F .0301
Rhode Island
n/a Rhode Island's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. RI rare plants 2016
South Carolina
No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead.
Texas
n/a Texas's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 31 TAC 69.8
New Hampshire
n/a New Hampshire's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. NH Ncr 312
Alabama
No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead.
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead.
Arizona
n/a Arizona's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. AAC R3-3 App. A
California
n/a California's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
Colorado
No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.
Connecticut
n/a Connecticut's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. CT E/T/SC list
Delaware
n/a Delaware's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. DE rare plants 2024
Iowa
n/a Iowa's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. IAC 571-77.3
Illinois
n/a Illinois's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. IL E&T checklist 2025
Indiana
No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead.
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants.
Kentucky
n/a Kentucky's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 400 KAR 3:040
Louisiana
No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.
Massachusetts
n/a Massachusetts's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. MESA list
Maryland
n/a Maryland's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. COMAR 08.03.08
Maine
n/a Maine's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. Maine rare plant list
Michigan
n/a Michigan's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. R 299.1028
Minnesota
n/a Minnesota's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. Minn. R. 6134.0300
Missouri
n/a Missouri's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 3 CSR 10-4.111
Mississippi
No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead.
Nebraska
n/a Nebraska's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 163 NAC 4-004
New Jersey
n/a New Jersey's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1
New Mexico
n/a New Mexico's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
Nevada
n/a Nevada's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. NAC 527.010
New York
n/a New York's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 6 NYCRR § 193.3
Ohio
n/a Ohio's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. OAC 1501:18-1-03
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead.
Oregon
n/a Oregon's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. OAR 603-073-0070
Pennsylvania
n/a Pennsylvania's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 17 Pa. Code Ch. 45
South Dakota
No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants.
Tennessee
n/a Tennessee's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. TN rule 0400-06-02-.04
Utah
No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead.
Virginia
n/a Virginia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. 2VAC5-320-10
Vermont
n/a Vermont's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. Vermont E&T list
Washington
No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.
Wisconsin
n/a Wisconsin's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. NR 27.03
West Virginia
No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead.
Wyoming
No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Hibiscus syriacus (“Hibiscus”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

Other Hibiscus on Bloomipedia (7): Common hibiscus, Swamp rose mallow, Flower-of-an-hour, Sea hibiscus, Woolly rosemallow, Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o, Brackenridge's rosemallow.

More from the Malvaceae family (29 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Turk's cap, Velvetleaf, Dwarf mallow, Apricot globemallow, Checkerbloom, Scarlet globemallow, Bristly mallow, Winecup mallow.

More Florida flowers

Sources