I stopped by one of my aunt's on the way home from the grocery store this morning. She wasn't at home... probably stayed the week with her daughter. Anyhow... this shrub out by the road caught my attention immediately. I don't recall seeing it bloom at all this year. At first I thought... why is this hibiscus blooming now? And what's wrong with it? None of the blooms are open? So I take a closer look... reminded me of Turk's Cap. And guess what? I didn't have my camera with me! I always have that thing in my purse! So, I snapped off a couple branches to bring home to see if I could ID it. I found it pretty quickly... it's Malvaviscus penduliflorus (aka Turk's Cap). It's also known as Sleepy Hibiscus... yeah... I'll call it that not to get it confused with the Malvaviscus arboreus. And come to find out, it's supposed to be very easy to get it to root from cuttings... so into some root stimulator they went. sleepy hibiscus ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) sleepy hibiscus ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) Sleepy Hibiscus ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) I'll try to remember to stop by there on my way home from work tomorrow and get a photo of the huge shrub all covered in lovely red blooms.
him hibiscus I have and I Cheryl resembles Turk's Cap Only it grows very become tree while the Turk's Cap Become shrub also flowers Malvaviscus facing downward while the Turk's Cap upwards and finally Malvaviscus penduliflorus not produce seeds :-D now know both plants, what do you think I am telling correctly?? :-?
Malvaviscus penduliflorus (sleepy hibiscus) grows very large. Can get 10 feet tall. My aunt's plant is about 6-7 feet tall and about that big around. It is probably over 20 years old and get no special treatment. And the flowers hang down. They are around 2 inches long. If it does not produce seeds, how does it propagate? Only by taking cuttings? Malvaviscus arboreus (turk's cap) does not get very tall. Maybe 2-3 feet? And the flowers point up. The flowers are only less than one inch. And this one does make seeds. So I believe you are correct Theo.
Malvaviscus penduliflorus is classified as a tall shrub or small tree, depending on which site you read. It can reach a height of around 10feet/3m and the blooms hang down. Cuttings are the most common way to propagate it, and stems laying on the ground will also root, that could be why it spreads in favorable locations. Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (Turk's Cap) is also a shrub but usually makes it only to 3-5 feet tall and wide. The tallest one I have is about 4 feet tall this year. And the blooms stand up. I have never collected seeds, more and more stems appear every spring making the plant wider and thicker. I have also read that one form of propagation is to divide the root ball. And Cheryl Malvaviscus penduliflorus needs info and photos please
Toni... I've added it to my "stew-list". I'll have lots of days off around the holidays... will get stuff added to "Plants".
I finally stopped over there to take a photo of the entire bush. And I took about 6 more cuttings... hopefully at least ONE will take. I gotta have this in my front yard too! Sleepy Hibiscus ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
Stick some willow twigs in with the cuttings. Any kind will do. They secrete the same rooting hormone that you buy but work much better.
I have no clue where to find any willow around here. Guess I'm just stuck with the store-bought stuff. I have some in just "plain water". Some in a vase with liquid stimulator and some in a mix of perlite, vermiculite and potting soil with the tips dipped in the power form of stimulator. I have some that get evening light and some that get morning light. I totally suck at starting "hard" cuttings... but I'm determined to get one of these started.
Funny thing... I just got off the phone with my Aunt. She said "you can come and dig up the whole dang thing!" Of couse I said "no". But I will be digging around the base of it more in the Spring to see if I can get something with roots. (Can you tell I don't have much faith in these cuttings taking root?)
Hi Cheryl,I'm not familiar with this plant being as it is so tropical.I googled it a bit & it is said to root easily in any season. So I think you will be able to root some tip cuttings.Do you stick them & put a dome over? Do the cuttings wilt right away if not covered?If they don't immediately wilt I would leave uncovered in a spot out of sun & where temps are moderate(not hot & not cold,ha ha).I bet they would even root in water! My hibiscus with burgundy leaves roots in water.Good luck! sNs
The leaves dried up after about 24 hours. They are not covered. Edited to add: I dug around the base of the plant and found some young shoots. Should I try some from the "tip" of one of the branches?
Cheryl,I would try some tip cuttings & put them under plastic.They probably wilt due to very low humidity. If at first you don't succeed try,try again. sNs
I did go by and get some tip cuttings and put one set under plastic. It's been a little over 24 hours and they aren't all dried up yet like the others. Hope it works And thanks for the info.
Well... it's been two weeks. All of the leaves have fallen off (except for one little cutting, which was one that was put in water), but they weren't all "crispy"... kinda "soggy". And some of the stems are still green. Do you think there's still a chance of them "taking"? Or should I get more tip cuttings?
