Texas Star Hibiscus Tree Seeds | Scarlet Rosemallow | (Hibiscus coccineus)

Scarlet stars in midsummer. The native hibiscus that looks tropical but grows like a native.

Hibiscus coccineus, the Texas Star Hibiscus or Scarlet Rosemallow, produces some of the most spectacular flowers of any native North American plant, large five-petaled scarlet stars up to 6 inches across with deeply cut, hand-like lobes that give the flower a starbursting quality unlike the typical rounded hibiscus shape. It grows naturally in the swamps and wet meadows of the southeastern coastal plain, blooming from late June through September in a continuous display that coincides perfectly with the high-summer period when most other flowering plants have finished or not yet started. It attracts hummingbirds intensively and is a major nectar plant for swallowtail butterflies throughout its blooming season. If you are looking to buy Texas Star Hibiscus seeds or grow this native rosemallow from seed, this is the most dramatic native hibiscus available and one of the finest summer-flowering plants for wet or moist garden sites in warm climates.

• Spectacular scarlet star-shaped flowers up to 6 inches across with deeply cut lobes, blooming continuously from June through September
• The most dramatic native hibiscus flower, with a star shape unlike the rounded blooms of most cultivated hibiscus
• Intense hummingbird attraction throughout the long bloom season
• Native to the wet swamps and meadows of the southeastern coastal plain, exceptionally tolerant of wet soils
• Grows as a perennial in zones 6 to 11, dying back to the roots in winter and resprouting strongly each spring

Things you probably did not know about the Texas Star Hibiscus

Despite the Texas in the name, it is primarily native to Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas rather than Texas. The common name Texas Star refers to the star shape of the flowers rather than the primary geographic range of the plant. Hibiscus coccineus grows naturally in the swamps and tidal marshes of the southeastern coastal plain from Georgia through Florida and up to the Carolinas, with scattered populations further inland. It does occur in Texas but is not particularly associated with that state in its native habitat.

It grows up to 8 feet tall in a single season from roots that survive even in zone 6. Texas Star Hibiscus is a perennial that dies back completely to the ground in frost but regrows from the root crown each spring with extraordinary vigor, reaching 6 to 8 feet by midsummer in warm conditions. This combination of complete winter dieback and explosive summer regrowth gives it an unusual space-time dynamic in the garden, disappearing for months and then returning as one of the tallest and most spectacular flowering plants in the border.

The flowers last only a single day but new ones open every morning throughout the season. Individual Texas Star Hibiscus flowers open in the morning and close for the last time in the evening of the same day, following the one-day flower pattern characteristic of the hibiscus family. The plant compensates by producing new flower buds continuously over a period of several months, maintaining a consistent floral display from late June through the first frost. A large established clump may have a dozen or more flowers open simultaneously on any given summer day.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are so strongly attracted to it that they defend individual plants as territory. The long flower tubes, brilliant red color, and abundant nectar production of Texas Star Hibiscus match exactly the sensory triggers that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds optimize for in nectar sources. Individual hummingbirds have been observed and documented defending single Texas Star Hibiscus plants against competing hummingbirds throughout the bloom season, treating the plant as a resource worth exclusive territorial control.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Hibiscus coccineus
• Stratification: Recommended, scarification or 30 days cold stratification
• USDA Zones: 6 to 11
• Soil: Prefers moist to wet soils, tolerates standing water, also grows in ordinary garden soils with consistent moisture
• Light: Full sun
• Height: 5 to 8 feet per season from established roots
• Spread: 2 to 4 feet
• Growth Rate: Very fast from established roots, full height each season

Plant it in the wettest spot available in full sun and let the hummingbirds find it. By late July it will be the most-visited plant on the property every morning.